You've come on leaps and bounds
They say
Did they not notice we died
She whispers
How could they
They never knew we were alive
She rolls over
Yawning
Well it’s all pretend anyway
A kind of myth
Ink on paper
Truth on skin
A phrase
A start
A crisp attack
As if we can turn the volume down on silent
It’s perfectly wise to feel anger and rage
Do you feel hungry
Always
We chase the sun
Yearning a full
Shear
Break
Down
Still, we can dream up
As much pretty as we like
She taps her nose
Crawls under the bed
Finds the basket
In which we keep
The remains of what is missing
It is nice
Swimming over the jagged edges of sorrow
Bliss she smiles
Just the two of us
Wrapped up and free
What I do not say is
Next time
I will not phone it in
She leans into me
Remember that terror you cannot name
I know what she is called
We curl up on the floor
Sleep under the mirror
All in good time
She says
Holding my hand
I love her
My little story book pilgrim
My friend.
"Ink on paper / Truth on skin" and they are the true myth makers...love how you describe Alice at the end...she is That...
ReplyDeleteAnd more perhaps..thank you kindly Sumana
DeleteWell it’s all pretend anyway
ReplyDeleteA kind of myth
Ink on paper
Truth on skin
Love these lines.. often myth is considered to be make-believe and people don't pay much heed to the stories inked on paper for fear that it might appear to be true as blood on skin. Beautifully executed! Thank you so much for participating Jae :D
Lots of love,
Sanaa
Exactly and perfectly put - thank you very much Sanaa :)
DeleteThere is no one that writes so well about inner turmoil than you Jae. It is an art form with you and because it is so brilliant in its feeling we are apt to think it is but skillful prose rather than reality. I just can't give you enough praise.
ReplyDeleteThank you Old Egg- praise enough..and much appreciated...don't want to get too big for my carpet slippers!
DeleteLuv the ability to tune into self to take time to heal in contemplative stance.luv the comforting self. Makes me reflect somewhat on the Rastafarian "I and I"
ReplyDeleteMuch love...
What a flattering comparison - thank you Gillena..I think peace and stillness is the only way to think of 'I' at times
DeleteA story book pilgrim, ink on paper. It's great to have somewhere to go to, a friend to go with, no matter how annoying she might be!
ReplyDeleteVisit Keith's Ramblings!
She has her uses - as I am sure a certain friend of yours does also ;) thank you kindly Keith
DeleteJae, I liked your take here on myths. the first few lines got me impressed. loved it!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much James - much appreciated
DeleteJust so gorgeous:
ReplyDelete"Ink on paper
Truth on skin"
Thank you De :)
DeleteAh... as usual you find the myth is a neighbor hiding... Love how you create it... and I think Alice is a myth too.
ReplyDeleteAnd i think you are right too - much appreciate you seeing the truth thank you Bjorn
DeleteEw. Bloody, puss-y gause. That looks yucky. :) For some reason, I like to see it coming out of the wound, but not on the paper it's wiped on.
ReplyDelete"Did they not notice we died
She whispers" ... I know, right?! I feel this way every day.
I love this:
"Ink on paper
Truth on skin"
Yum:
"We chase the sun
Yearning a full"
"Bliss she smiles
Just the two of us
Wrapped up and free" ... Pretty and sweet.
"What I do not say is
Next time
I will not phone it in
She leans into me
Remember that terror you cannot name" ... Oh wow. This really twisted up my tummy.
That ending! ~Melted my heart. :)
Thank you Em - although no blood, wounds or gauze..is always better - let's keep it all on paper - yes? :)
DeleteYes, let's!
DeleteI'm doing a new word list prompt; I thought you might like to join in:
Deletehttp://neoprimitivesynthesis.blogspot.com/2016/02/tuesdays-thistle-1.html
Oh, lovely! Just lovely!
ReplyDeleteThank you Kunal
DeleteI just love falling into your spin, Jae Rose.
ReplyDeleteThank you Marilyn...spinning like daisies...
DeleteAs if we can turn the volume down on silent... Jae, the lines you come up with.. just fantastic!
ReplyDeleteThank you thotpurge - most fantastically!
Deletethis is so lovely and tender. companionship in the hours of despair, and yes, it's "perfectly wise to feel anger and rage".
ReplyDeleteyour words made me think of the film 400 days, which i watched recently. like the astronauts, one doesn't know when and what is the reality and the simulation.
excellent write, Jae! :)
Thank you ds - i shall look out your film recommendation - we certainly don't know the difference between real and simulation (apart from when things hurt)
Deletewow ... this was so well written !
ReplyDeleteThanks Suyash!
Delete"It is nice
ReplyDeleteSwimming over the jagged edges of sorrow"
Such powerful imagery, Jae Rose. Fantastic!
Thank you fantastically Magaly!
DeleteJae, Thanks for dropping in at my Sunday Lime today
ReplyDeletemuch love...
Always a pleasure..thanks for dropping by twice too!
Delete'Swimming over the jagged edges of sorrow...'
ReplyDeleteSuch powerful imagery, Jae.
Thank you very much Paul
DeleteIt feels like some balance and peace in 'All in good time ' holding hands and taking pause.... ~ Love and peace to you, Jae.
ReplyDeleteYes a moment of breathing and quiet at least - thank you humbird...love and peace back to you xo
DeleteTruth on skin...something tatted, no doubt...indelible...a constant reminder...which we all need, don't we? (Not the tats, the reminders!)
ReplyDeleteI like my one tat - my faithful butterfly..unfortunately my reminders are a little less pretty but definitely indelible.hope one day I will learn from them..thank you Magical...
DeleteMy goodness there are some very poignant lines in this one starting with....
ReplyDelete'As if we can turn the volume down on silent
It’s perfectly wise to feel anger and rage'
and then.....
'Still, we can dream up
As much pretty as we like
She taps her nose
Crawls under the bed
Finds the basket
In which we keep
The remains of what is missing'
I kept saying...'oh my' as I read these over and over...tears welling up...feeling that pain.
Donna@LivingFromHappiness
I appreciate that thank you Donna..thank you very much
DeleteSo many beautiful lines....swimming over the jagged edges of sorrow.....my storybook pilgrim. A bit ominous, the next time I won't phone it in....as Old Egg says, no one writes inner turmoilining like you. You have created your own genre. Shine on, kiddo, and we will keep reading.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sherry...plenty more inner turmoiling ahead I imagine..i appreciate your support always and will try to shine if only in words! Thank you xo
DeleteDear Jae It is so good, so wonderful! You really are the best! I loved each word, each line.
ReplyDeleteThank you wonderfully Annell xo
DeleteI have also wondered, at times, how one turns down the volume on silent. It can be so loud and exhausting. Eventually, I made friends with it and learned to appreciate the many things it offers. Really like those final lines. She truly is a cornerstone in your own personal myth.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth
I like that description of Alice - simply perfect..it's funny how there are different silences..the best kind has to be the one you make friends with and is peace...thank you very much Elizabeth
DeleteOh...that first stanza. So sad if no one noticed they died. And even sadder if no one noticed that one lived.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if one swims over the jagged edge of sorrow whether one will swim into that bliss that is mentioned. I would hope so.
I wonder if it is better to be able to name the terror rather than to have it remain unnamed. I think that one can deal with terrors a bit better if one knows exactly what it is.
I hope there will be bliss and yes you cannot overcome what you cannot name or know...thank you for your kind insights Mary xo
DeleteSo much said in this one. Though we all swim over the jagged edges of sorrow at some point in our lives, some experience a terror with unknown name. This left me feeling very sad. Yet, appreciate the deep layer of honesty in it and the talent.
ReplyDeleteThank you Myrna...I think it's a sad phase...I very much appreciate your comment and for reading always too..thank you
DeleteWe chase the sun
ReplyDeleteYearning a full
Shear
Break
Down
Always, chase the sun then you will find light to lead the way out of the shadows of yesterday.
Thank you Truedessa...i do so hope we will leave behind the shadows
DeleteStill, we can dream up
ReplyDeleteAs much pretty as we like
And that's the key! Wonderful poem, Jae.
When put like that pretty is a good thing to dream up - thank you Sara
DeleteOh this is nice. To me it speaks of false fronts we put up to hide pain and injury, and when we do a good enough job of it, people believe the myth you've created. Though there will always be those who see the truth hidden by the myth.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your insight Rommy - exactly that
Delete" Still, we can dream up
ReplyDeleteAs much pretty as we like" - so true ... as is the reverse. But then, again, how true is anything: which is the direction I went in with this piece. Another awesome write!
How true is anything..yes..I think I agree...the world on the whole dodges it I find..thank you kindly Wendy
DeleteI loved this line so much...
ReplyDelete"As if we can turn the volume down on silent"
Thank you very much
DeleteInk on paper... all that we have ever written.
ReplyDeleteOur emotions are they our friends? I guess they would have to be since they are the only ones that will always be there to listen when we babble incoherently when recalling our nightmares.
It is good to find comfort in something... Lucky you and lucky Alice. We are all pilgrims in some way or an other.