His voice aged that night as he spoke quietly about the disappointment
and rage
that only a prayer could soften.
Beneath the words that bubbled in his chest
his heart beat
but he did not know what for.
I listened to his anatomy and found god
and wished he would speak instead.
The rise and fall of his chest staggered as he made sentences,
useless articulations that failed to find meaning or peace.
Occasionally I kissed him
when only his tongue clicked against the palate of his mouth
and words began to tumble back into his throat
where they stayed without breath
to push them forward again.
He did not kiss back but I tried to breathe some light in
to sustain his searching.
I held him until he slept, and in the darkness that penetrated only one of us
I prayed.
Lovely Maggie. I miss our talks.
Thank you Ashley. And me too.
Gosh!!! What a BEAUTIFUL poem. I absolutely love it!
Cathy, thank you so much! Coming from you, that is truly a high compliment.
This piece dug into my 4-Level being . . . . and scooped out a ball of knots that I haven’t been able to begin unravelling for too many years. I believe that everything happens for a reason and in it’s right time. Just wanted you to know that your writing today was a catalyst to someone else’s healing. Mine. The timing, as mystical as it seems, is impeccable. Thank you. ~G
Oh wow, I can’t tell you how moved I am by this comment. Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I can’t think of a greater reason to write than for the chance to affect even one person that way. Whether it is mystical or spiritual or coincidence, I’m so glad we connected! Thank you.
Thank you Maggie. I left your page and started to write about it all. I don’t know if or when I will say “done,” but when I do, I’ll footnote you, k? Many Blessings. ~G
Please do! I’m really enjoying reading what you put out there, and I would LOVE to see what you’re writing now after having such an awakening. Take care!
This totally took my breath away. I read it again and again, and I’m still quite speechless. What a beautiful poem and what a beautiful image you paint with it, I think this has the something, the big wisdom and question of life we search for. Simply precious!
Thank you for visiting my blog and taking time to comment too, I really appreciate it. Especially as it led me to your beautiful writing. : )
Goodness, thank you so much for these kind words! I’m very glad I found your blog as well and am looking forward to reading more!
This is so touching
Thank you so much!
Beautiful poem.
Thank you! I really appreciate you taking the time to read and comment. 🙂
Stunning! I love this poem.
This is gorgeous… but spur out some emotions from me! Find it to be very very sad. Anyway .. awesome! 😀
Thank you! It is sad… Sad things make me write with more ease than happy things, but stay tuned – I’m going to try to break that cycle. 🙂
Why?! I think sadness is the supreme catalyst for artistic creation. 🙂 or at least I think so.. and I will stay tuned 😀
Ha, I couldn’t agree more.
🙂
and I’b obviously not promoting sadness, I was just commenting.
From one Maggie to another…what lovely poetry. I am going to follow your blog. I would be delighted if you would read some of my work.
Maggie! I never meet other Maggies – how thrilling! Thank you for your kind words. I’ll go read your blog now. 🙂
Very powerful poem. Also, thank you for visiting my blog. Have a wonderful weekend. 🙂
Thank you. I enjoyed your blog. I will be reading more!
lovely poem. Looking forward to read more of your posts
Thank you Holly! I’ve not posted in three weeks now but I’m hoping to very soon. 🙂
Nice, I understand better than I talk English, but I write a little poetry in French… And philosophy, even books… My English isn’t good enough to write a book… Just basic…
But I love Pablo Néruda… In Spanish…
This is breathtaking in its spirituality and its sadness. It sends me into zone of deep and sincere introspection.
I love these lines:
“I listened to his anatomy and found god
and wished he would speak instead.”
Eric – you’re too kind. Thank you so much. I can’t wait to be done with grad school and return to writing from the heart.