Awakening
I have been silent so long.
Now, you have awakened me
So suddenly
That I am astonished by the
Emotion that still remains
Within me.
I have been silent so long
That I thought all was lost,
And there was no retrieving
Of the past nor hope
For the future.
Now, you have awakened me
And I am astonished that I
Can feel and think and
Laugh again,
Put fear aside and reach
For contact with another,
Hope for peace and joy,
Hope for love and passion,
And unlock my heart
At last, at last.
Questions
So, where do we go from here.
Do we maintain the illusion
While keeping the distance between us,
Staying together for comfort’s sake
Do we go on pretending
There is something left to hold,
That there is any future,
Or do we acknowledge the reality.
Breathless Walk
I took
A breathless walk through a corridor dark,
Dark, narrow, as high as the nearest cloud,
Through a hall strewn with pieces
Of a jigsaw puzzle
And bits of tinted glass;
Pretty dark red, almost brown, spots
Haphazardly decorated the walls,
Pebbles and rocks on the floor,
Puddles left from the last maid’s cleaning
Tripped and confused the pedestrian
While the pilots forgot the low ceiling
And splashed down to become
Scraps of rubble that
Rotted on the floor because
No one remembered to sweep
And put out the trash.
Breathless walk through a corridor dark,
Dark, narrow, winding as a river,
Through a hall with walls stuck together
With airplane glue
And a roof attached with staples.
One entrance, one exit,
One path and no shortcuts.
Eyeglasses and hearing aids on shelves,
Bibles left underfoot by the janitor
Only briefly distracted a travelor
While fellow men straightened corners
And crumbled to become
Lumps on the floor,
Hills to run up and down because
No one else really cared
And the policeman had been fired.
Breathless walk through a corridor dark,
Dark, narrow, confining as an iron lung,
Through a hall where the carpenter
Forgot extra doors
And from which there’s only one escape.
Storm
I stand unprotected
The wind battering me
Pushing me first in one direction
Then another
Spinning me around
While I try to catch my balance
And all the debris
Created by the gale
Lies crumbled at my feet
Waiting for me to decide
Which things to salvage and
And which to let go
I look towards the sky
Hoping to see clearing
Trying to read the wind
As it rushes past
Waiting for a lull in the storm
That will let me take the next step.
I struggle to catch my breath
Gasping for air
To fill my lungs deeply
To clear my head of the noise
And I try to find an anchor
Against the storm.
