the note said
there is no need
for peripheral plot
or overloaded metaphor
for timid parentheses
or non-committal ellipses now
no need for passive-aggressive footnotes
hidden below the surface
no eyes will condemn
the truth
such forgiveness and humanity is
reserved for the dead and dying
but wait I am still here I am here
holding the book fragile
and afraid to see my literature stripped
bare to meaning
and now without notice my editor
has left me too she passed away
and buried herself
with you eternally devoted
unwilling to preserve
my sense and sensibility
is she with you sharing secrets
I can feel her vicious slice
bleeding me cutting away the kindness
of literary discretion and excising the
punctuation that stapled me closed
exposing the wound and the tattered diary
hidden within
tear-stained yellowed pages a pressed rose
and the leaves of October
that never faded
because I always loved you.
August 17, 2009 at 12:28 am
oh my…reading it made me breathless…
good one…
i always enjoy visitng your blog..
August 17, 2009 at 12:34 am
Such sadness! Such a painful piece! How can something which evokes such agony be so beautiful? And yet it is.
August 17, 2009 at 9:14 am
Incredible, I keep coming back to it, just beautiful.
August 17, 2009 at 9:51 am
Thanks all. I am finding there are more stages to grief than I realized. It’s amazing what we find inside the pages of our personal stories when there is nothing left to lose except the lies we tell ourselves to stay safe. Facing the truth of the heart is turning out to be a painful process.
August 17, 2009 at 5:30 pm
A beautiful expression of sorrow… thanks for sharing, it’s very powerful. *hug, if you need it!*
August 17, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Thanks Joseph-I did:)
I feel better now 🙂
August 17, 2009 at 6:51 pm
“excising the
punctuation that stapled me closed”
Oh. My. Gosh.
That was an amazing line! I mean, all of it was great, but that line in particular cut me. I cannot live without my staples. Without them I lose control.
August 17, 2009 at 7:06 pm
Thanks Falcon. Yes, staples are a necessity to hold it all together. Without them, things scatter and come undone.
I’m glad you liked that line. I could feel it as I wrote it, so I guess I liked it too. 🙂
August 17, 2009 at 7:48 pm
This one has touched us all on such a deep level. Just beautiful. To be read and read again and again. Lovely.
August 17, 2009 at 10:47 pm
Thanks Sara. I’m shocked at the kind comments. I wrote this as a stream of consciousness and know it is poetically flawed;) That said, it did help to write it down. So grateful for your generosity 🙂
August 18, 2009 at 9:07 am
“excising the
punctuation that stapled me closed….”
Amazing. I just saw that this line grabbed DarcsFalcon as well. I agree, an amazing poem and this line in particular.
I’ve added a new section on my links page and put a link to your blog. I’ll be back. Thank you.
August 18, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Hi Cynthia, so good to see you again. Thank you. I have mixed emotions that this resonated with folks–surely I don’t wish grief on anyone, and yet I know we all go through it….Thanks so much, I appreciate you stopping in and linking to me. It is an honor.
August 18, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Incredible! Every line is impregnated with intense emotions that are so powerful, they overwhelm the reader.. wow.. I’m really at a loss for words.. this is pure genius..
August 18, 2009 at 6:55 pm
I can only repeat how powerful this piece felt… if this was just stream of consciousness… wow. You definitely know how to infuse emotion into words!
August 18, 2009 at 8:46 pm
Hi April! Thank you–what a nice compliment. I saw that you have a new website with Shraddha–I’ll be there shortly:)
August 19, 2009 at 8:00 pm
I really like this, Danielle. Excellent.
August 21, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Thank you, Paul. 🙂
August 21, 2009 at 4:50 pm
Danielle, this is great! It is a knife cutting to the heart, slicing and dicing the soul to make an emotional stew. The subtleties ‘hidden within’ evoke commitment, change, and longing. Excellent.
DH
August 21, 2009 at 6:42 pm
Hi Donald,
So glad to see you again! Thank you for your kind words 🙂
August 22, 2009 at 10:46 am
so beautiful… you write with gorgeous sadness here
August 22, 2009 at 1:23 pm
I’m so happy to know you are back, Ebbtide. Thank you for dropping by and for your kind words. I just returned from your site and once again feel like your words have blessed me. You are a wonderful poet 🙂 You may want to add a link to your avatar so others can find you easily. You can do this by going into your profile section. Your words are too beautiful not to be found.:)
August 25, 2009 at 1:32 pm
The line “excising the punctuation that stapled me closed” is irresistible, indeed, as pointed out by two other readers. Having that line, now, committed to memory, is a hallelujah moment for poetry lovers; it will remind me of you. Cheers.
August 25, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Thank you, S.L.! Welcome to my little place. Having just returned from yours, I am having a hard time turning away from such beautiful poetry and getting back to work. I’ll be back when I have time to dig in and enjoy. I’m so glad you stopped by and left a footprint so that I could find you in return. 🙂