Even when it is all over, when bones crumble,
when earth melts, I will still know Love
by lean of shadow to tree and lay of grass to ground
I will know longing forever by ache of being bent beyond belief;
that sharp-shouldered hold when blades bruise each other
because arms hold nothing but wishes and I cannot let go
when mountains spit out their brightest pit and berries wizen
on pithy vines, I will reach and grab air like a child reaches
for a dead mother, never giving up hope that one day
something worth grasping will return. Yes, I will know
having carved you from my heart when I feel nothing more
than wind blow through my ribs. Yes, perhaps then,
for every cell of mine has memorized you so deeply
that your loss has left me shattered like prism in a teardrop
In a list
- AP Book Project 2 • next in list
- My Favorite AP Poets • next in list
- Possibilities for AP Book 2 • next in list
A contest entry
- Oh, Sweet Longing . . . by RatherImaginative.
1050 points, ended June 23, 2007, 21 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 9 of 9
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my gosh!
this is just amazing Carol!
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To read this poem is to grasp your emptiness. What you have penned is a masterpiece of grief.
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I think I need to take everybody off my favorites so I can start reading more of your poems
...lol...
this is absolutely amazing - congrats on the silver -
what an excellent poem, what I like about it is for the length it is - every line is brilliant!
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Yes.
This is the second poem that has made me say that today.
Yes.
Elizabeth -
so very profound
this is deeply moving and so ver tender, such profound expression of want and longing.. a child reaching for a lost mother...such images will linger in thought after the book has been closed...PK
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"I will know longing forever by ache of bones bent beyond belief;
that sharp-shouldered hold when blades bruise each other
because arms hold nothing but wishes and I cannot let go"
And I will be there to hold your hand as we both learn how to let go...exquisite. Aching, loving, brilliant penning, my Sister. Ahhh, Sweetie...we are only the vessel through which it pours...& ooohhh, you pour so beautifully...Good luck in the contest, my Friend...
Wanda
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I oftentimes ache when I read your work Carol . . . you have a way of infiltrating me and making me feel the impermanance of it all . . . you are not only a poet but a daughter of the Earth and your words tremble with an ancient wisdom.
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Your imagery is amazing, and very moving. The ache is there, and then some. How painful it must be to long for someone who can never again be with us, whether by choice or death. Thanks so much for entering my contest!
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"for every cell of mine has memorized you so deeply/that your loss has left me shattered like prism in a teardrop." How very deep and poignant and moving are these lines, as is the rest of your wonderful poem. Best of luck in the contest.
David Michaels
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