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wish

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

is it wrong to wish the dead alive



 

to want them rended from a rest 


measured in dust

 

tap index finger to humerus


where shoulder used to be

 

shout names into the space

that once held eyes



 

it is not for their sake

that i dig here in the earth

  
search for pieces 


and try to put them back

 

cobbled together
 

by a small incompetent god

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Comments

1 - 19 of 19

  • Odds and Ends
    October 6

    Edit | Reply
    i wish these things

    usually selfishly, but I wish them all the same-- a hug, a dance, a laugh, a moment of love again.

    i enjoyed this piece. I think i'll read more. thank you.


  • Cat gold member
    October 3

    Edit | Reply
    ok... so for this past span of a month
    i have read the two best poems i have ever read on AP. This is publishable as is.. no nits, no changes or tweaks.. just a perfectly worded piece
    that makes one sit back and not only admire the artistry of it.. but the man who could write such a perfect thing..

    wonderful stuff

    m


  • vieve gold member
    September 29

    Edit | Reply
    I understand this feeling, maybe for the first time, very recently. Beautiful & of course, your closing lines!


  • jantastic gold member
    September 29
    Edit | Reply
    al,

    beautiful


  • ArtFullyMe gold member
    September 28

    Edit | Reply

    what isn't said,
    what is,

    and the space between all of it

    so wonderfully said


  • Jersene gold member
    September 26
    Edit | Reply
    excellent


  • Dalaney gold member
    September 26

    Edit | Reply
    I have just finished reading, The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks. This poem could very easily be written on the opening page. Your 'power' in poetry lies in its simplistic approach, and yet, what we feel and get out of it is not simple at all. Very well done.

    L


  • mantis180
    September 26

    Edit | Reply
    This made me sad... it, in some small way, makes me think of the poetry about your past, and feels... forlorn and lost, angered and miserable, it invokes feelings.... I don't like it. I mean not to say I don't love the piece as a whole, the emotions it strongly contributes, and encourages, all the way around.... but I don't particularly like the emotions it makes me feel specifically... then again isn't that a good poem? one that instills a sense of the poet themselves? Or perhaps just one that makes you feel. For it is often hard to feel... but it is still sad. Sorry for my long rambling comment, had a hard time gathering thoughts... good to see you writing again, old friend.

  • boilerjim
    September 25

    Edit | Reply

    Interesting

    Finding magical words for any situation,thought or endeavor is a blessing. You are blessed. Thanks for the thoughtrs and words.


  • MJ Donnelly gold member
    September 24

    Edit | Reply
    You could always become an archeologist with a minor in theology.

    Your style is so refreshing and most enviable Al.


  • Peteskid gold member
    September 24

    Edit | Reply
    such a small form for an immense idea, the words carry a lot of weight here...PK

  • tara wilson gold member
    September 24

    Edit | Reply
    this is so amazing, Al...i love the shoulder and eyes lines..
    - very well written!

  • Rowan gold member
    September 24

    Edit | Reply
    There are no wrong questions, especially when it comes to wishing the impossible. Loved 'incompetent' god. Powerful al.


  • Nicolette gold member
    September 24

    Edit | Reply
    wonderful poetry, al...i loved what wasn't said here, and of course the silent whisper... good to see a new poem by you



    ~ Nicolette


  • NurseChilly gold member
    September 24

    Edit | Reply
    it isn't wrong to wish at all, infact it is part of life and the process of grief that we do this... even ages after the event too..
    we become these morbidly selfish type beings who want for ourselves but then it is a healing moment to think of the person again and wish to the skies and lights and stars or a greater being than us, that they are safe and loved where they are..
    it is all we want really

    great poem Al.. glad to see words from you too


  • Grunts Girl gold member
    September 24

    Edit | Reply
    of course many will think of something personal like a relative or other loved one in this...
    but i dont, maybe that is wrong of me but i go to the bones that need solving...
    the bones that need a face and a voice
    wishing them alive for justice
    for that is what would truely give them rest

    just memories of finding a partial body by the canal...

    i still feel bad i dont go someplace personal- maybe because i am ok with their passings? dunno...

    i remember standing on the bank thinking.... these are the bones we found- how many are there that are not?

    i am so glad to read you again,
    always


  • Night Hope gold member
    September 23

    Edit | Reply

    Having been there myself, I don't think it's wrong as much as it might be selfish on our part. Why should I disturb their peace in order to facilitate my own? Still. I do understand the desire and the wishfulness that causes one to ask the question. And your way of asking it is always poetic and thoughtful, Al.



  • Connor Blackbird
    September 23

    Edit | Reply
    There is so much of this that I love - the questioning, the self-doubt, and of course that ending. I love your simplicity - "dig here in the earth" is so much more basic than most poets (myself wholly included) would be willing to be. There are a few things I wonder about the use of, but you are in a class of poet where I am more inclined to think it is my understanding that is off, not the poem. In either case, masterful as seems so often to be the case.

1 - 19 of 19