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- The Things You Couldn’t Take
by
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Moving day, and I should have faced this dawn,
should have swaddled myself in armour and rose,
a warrior, from this bed where I, damaged,
lie as a lump beneath white linen,
a snowdrift, but colder.
As the home becomes house, I listen:
it grows bigger - you empty from it -
and him, my son with the dark eyes,
bristles in the hallway, all excitement.
You tell him to put shoes on.
He doesn't understand that you
haven't boxes big enough
to pack the absence of his laughter,
or any room to take
the empty space of where you were.
It's a broken family's husk, this house:
a void for my lone echoes.
What will I do when you go?
I'll wage a war with memory;
overwhelm myself;
try to empty boiling oceans with a thimble.
I'll clench my heart, I'll bare my teeth at God;
I'll drink: twice my weight in bad tequila.
I'll walk, hunched, wild eyes open to the stinging wind
so I can hide the truth in crying;
I'll go unshaved for seasons,
howl at mountains I can't move, and,
jaw set, set firm as a statued-Greek,
I'll cold-store all expression.
It's in this way,
this way, that I'll go about the world, insane with grief,
swinging clubs at the head of each new morning
until I tire of fighting, to return
to this same bed,
here, where we read aloud and laughed,
broke the bread of life,
made love like savages,
and pledged eternities.
But for now, for now I'll hold my place,
right here, right here where I, damaged,
lie as a lump,
a lump beneath white linen,
a snowdrift, but colder.
Take care, keep safe, and stay beautiful,
With love and peace,
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Beautiful, sad, evocative & so visual. I've read it twice & will certainly be back to read it again. I especially like "you haven't boxes big enough to pack the absence of his laughter" and "swinging clubs at the head of each new morning." The "white linen/snowdrift/colder" beginning and ending image is also wonderful.
Debra Snider’s last blog post..Holiday Travels
Thank you Debra. I'm glad you liked those lines. They were difficult to write.
I could rant and rave about how wonderful this was, but all the words that spring to mind to convey that sound wrong. perhaps it will suffice to say that when I read this, every hair on my body stood on end.
Mate, these lines are so intensely emotional! Simply brilliant! Keep them coming!
Brosreview’s last blog post..Under the drowning sun
@Emma: Thank you so much. I only hope that you enjoyed it half as much as I enjoyed your post about the minority report!
@Brosreview: I'll try to post her again soon. Life has taken me on a bit of a detour lately. But your words aren't too bad either, you know.
Jé Maverick’s last blog post..The Things You Couldn’t Take - Confessional Poem
There are sometimes not enough words in this world to say what you mean to, and yet you've described and conveyed an array of emotions that are encompassed in this poem. It was very moving.
Thanks a lot. Those wings in life? Hope you find them.
I love your work my friend. I was wondering if you would be interested in exchanging links with my blog, http://mellifluoustones.blogspot.com/. If you are, contact info can be found on the site.(I am reluctant to post my e-mail in a comments section, for fear of spam and such)
Thank you. Yes, I shall visit, I'd love to. Take care.
Hi ,
We are the world's first multi lingual poetry portal .Our endeavor is to promote poetry reading /writing in various languages.
You are an awesome writer.Really loved your poems. Do login and post as you may be depriving a lot of people the opportunity to appreciate your artistry with words.
Use the import tool on the portal to upload poems.
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Regards,
Simply Poet
http://www.simplypoet.com
Its not just words... its a lifestyle.
Very, very good poem!
Muchos gracias, Alice!
This is a beautiful piece of work in every way, everything from the structure, to the imagery. It flows perfectly, and you set up a clear, precise image.
I'm pleased that you thought so, Tori. Thanks for letting me know that you enjoyed it.
wow this is awesome! it reminds me of this other poetry/creative thinking blog i came across the other day at http://thehatlist.wordpress.com/ maybe its related to this one?
.-= Levi W´s last blog ..Making All My Mistakes Now =-.
I'll be sure to check it out. Thanks for visiting.