We put bin bags at the windows and bells upon the doors
It blocks out moon and star
They will come back
That's right I say and stroke her hair
She really is a clever girl
My twist of clover in the night
Are we keeping dark in or out
A little of both
I feel her shake and hold her tight
Sway in time with the song
We drank shrank ourselves silly to blunt out light
There was a birthday party but it was like I wasn't there
Tea cake incendiary devices waiting to explode
You lost your shoes remember
The stairs hurt
The hall was empty
Daddy played with our friends
Real falls heavy
Heavier than the bandages cemented to my leg
We slip under
A quiet lethargy in our singular vacuum of space and time
The sound of us being human
The sound of us being alive
We are surrounded by scaffold
But our heads are still on squeals Alice
Clapping her hands in triumph
The bells fall heavy in the fog
Trying to reach our ears
It's ok
It's ok
I will turn your ribbons in the dark
We clutch them
Hold them to our heart
Like time
And love
Mixed up in blood
The powder comes back
Of course it does
No stopping it
Leaking in the windows
Clawing through the floor
We hunker bunker down
I chose the candy coated pink
High tea
Gobble swallow down
Slippety slip under
Full but empty inside.
That last bit made me shiver.
ReplyDeleteThank you Dee...passing you some warm milk to stop the shivers :)
DeleteYou covered a lot of ground in this one. What can I say, except that reality is indeed quite heavy. No one is strong enough to take it all on at once. If no appropriate help is at hand, one has to divide and conquer. Most reality isn't so bad once it's been made bite-size.
ReplyDeleteIt was one of those days where I tried to make jelly out of treacle...the dark just came thick and fast..mind you once it's out...lighter things may follow...thank you Ann..and reality in snack size is just fine ;)
DeleteThe sound of us being human
ReplyDeleteThe sound of us being alive
A journey in space and time in accordance of a family with their brand of activities. Wonderful take Jae!
Hank
We are indeed a strange little family....but that's ok! Thank you kindly Hank
DeleteHow I missed your poetry! So many wonderful lines - the tea cake incendiary devices are a stunning image. I especially love "But our heads are still on!" I so relate! LOL. Those bandages do sound heavy. But your spirit sounds wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThank you kindly Sherry..it's good to be back..although a little rusty of foot and word! No matter how thick the bandages we're always inside ;)
Delete"We slip under
ReplyDeleteA quiet lethargy in our singular vacuum of space and time
The sound of us being human
The sound of us being alive
We are surrounded by scaffold""
Shrink or grow, however we get here, this still small space here is the core of human-ness. I believe that no matter what goes on around each of us, in this core we know we are human with rights, the most basic to be safe somewhere to breathe. Thank you for your insightful comment on my poem, Jae Rose.
Yes...I used to think those things were a minimum...but to really know you have them is absolute gold dust...thank you Susan...and for the prompt...got the old grey matter working :)
DeleteGoing for the gold dust!
Delete:)
Deletenice try , and we should never stop trying and yes ofcourse the outcome is not in our hands
ReplyDeleteThe end is written perhaps but how we get there is in our hands I think..thank you Vandana
DeleteIt's sound like past the shrink...hopping I did progress for myself....how important to keep the head up, remember who we are, use the space you have to manifest your rights and voice....
ReplyDeleteThank you for progressing through humbird...yes...head up and a clear voice is something to aspire to thank you :)
Delete"We slip under
ReplyDeleteA quiet lethargy in our singular vacuum of space and time
The sound of us being human
The sound of us being alive
We are surrounded by scaffold""
Never let that scaffold hold you back from your happiness and progressing through the pain of the past. Take your happiness with both hands and hold it close.
Thank you Sheilagh - what a gift of a comment xo
DeleteLooks like everyone else was moved by the same parts I am. But then, it's normal for the question of human-ness to be of interest.
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed...thank you kindly (other) Alice :)
DeleteWho you are
ReplyDeleteis not who you will be
grasp at the light
be set free
Hugz!!!
We will fly...eventually...thank you kindly Moonie ..and a hug back
Delete"The sound of us being human, The sound of us being alive" Hold on to that Jae not much else matters. Being a hermit in a cave sounds so good, sometimes...so long at the bottle shop is close.
ReplyDeleteWe can always order in ;) Thank you Old Egg...we will hold onto to that little ray of light at the entrance to our cave
Deletethe sound of being human must be heard by everyone to spread humanity,well done again
ReplyDeleteQuiet Always
That's a good thought...thank you as ever Cifar
DeleteWonderful poem. For me, 'Real falls heavy' was a very striking line.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Rosemary
DeleteIt is indeed a feat, worthy of squealing, to be on the scaffold, but to still be in possession of one's head!
ReplyDeleteA thank you squeal back Magical! :)
Deletefull but empty inside..Jaerose..it puts so much pain in the heart...
ReplyDeleteThank you Arathi (it will be ok ;) ...
DeleteA very open poem much to think about.
ReplyDeleteThank you GL
DeleteA wonderful piece! I liked it so much. Glad you are home again!
ReplyDeleteThank you Annell...it is good to be home...this one will stay on the shelf...too heavy to be looked at too much xo
Delete