She stands in glory in the night
Pale arms lifted under a shimmering moon
The air is sharp
Like a bitter apple
The stars make her eyes shine
Her fragile little body shivers and shakes
But she is happy
I can tell because it creeps upon me too
The world falls upon us like a bad dream
We shake it off with words and pictures
Coat the paper in thick black ink
Large so we can read it in the half light
What does it say she whispers
Nothing I reply
There are shapes and letters but they fall out wrong somehow
Perhaps we will dance
Bathe our bodies in sweet music
Or maybe lie still and count our breaths
Either sounds good
A tiny revelation
We have walked a long way to reach this place
There have been many fights
Some we lost
Some we won
But together we come to rest
Stand in glory under the crisp moonlight.
"The world falls upon us like a bad dream"
ReplyDeleteLove this line, Jae!
What a glorious read this is Jae, filed with visual similes and metaphors; this really is one of your best poems.
ReplyDeleteThere is so much strength and beauty in the words 'glory' and 'crisp moonlight' here. A delight to read, specially this portion: 'The world falls upon us like a bad dream / We shake it off with words and pictures'
ReplyDeleteSometimes when the words aren't right, you just have to dance--in the moonlight.
ReplyDeleteGosh. "But she is happy
ReplyDeleteI can tell because it creeps upon me too" The idea of happiness creeping, of using our arts to let it have room to grow and glow in the moonlight s a hopeful and marvelous balance.
We have walked a long way to reach this place. Yes, indeed. I love the air sharp like a bitter apple, and the stars....and the tremulous happiness.
ReplyDeleteI love the comforting story here. How nice to let happiness creep in, just enjoy what is good about what is. I find a lesson here of inner peace. I hope it creeps in.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I've found a door in a forgotten piece of furniture reading these lines.
ReplyDeleteStand in glory under the crisp moonlight = what a great image that is!
ReplyDeleteMaybe lie still and count our breaths
ReplyDelete... and fall asleep with a big fur rug over your head and block out the bad dream world
There is a sense of resolution and peace about this poem .Lovely poem.
This is utterly beautiful Jae!!
ReplyDelete