Thursday, September 20, 2012

ALONE
















In the solitary moments of my separateness
I wonder why you occupy such space
And yet take up so little room
It’s as if you’re everywhere and nowhere all at once

My heart’s chambers on the other hand
Are scoured empty as old pails of lye
Rusting through now in its various weak spots

That comes as no great shock really
Since I’ve been scrubbing at the vestiges of caring for you
Long enough to diminish the thickness of the walls

And even though scars grow without my permission
Over damage we have inflicted simultaneously
I seem able to lessen their callous nature as the years go by

Until they too grow less able to sustain themselves
And eventually I sense them falling off
The way the last withered leaves depart the trees of autumn

I wonder, in my isolated soul, if when I am finally
Irrevocably emptied, without within, unoccupied of energy or life
Will I finally feel the peace of being one with all
Or will my aloneness be the peace I’ve sought all along












28 comments:

  1. I wonder why you occupy such space
    And yet take up so little room....really like the reflectiveness in this piece..you took me right along with you in the pondering and looking for answers..

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    1. Thanks Claudia - glad you enjoyed coming along on the ponder ...

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  2. It isn't easy letting go of love. It's a hard thing to do, even if it was slowly destroying us, we become addicted to needing someone who brings about our souls partial dying. It sounds as if you have realised the damages done by both parties and have had a mental spring clean, once empty, you'll be ready to be filled again.
    Lovely poem.

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    1. How true - you have grasped the essence of this poem pretty much and I appreciate the comment - thanks for dropping by.

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  3. Claudia's used the very word I was going to here. It is such a strongly reflective piece that it leaves me with a mixture of feelings, mostly melancholy, so it hit the spot! It's done what a poem should, moved me. It also makes me ponder on waiting for a sequel...

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    1. Thanks so much. I have a feeling the sequel is already written, I'm just not sure which poem it is actually...glad the poem moved you, I agree - it's what poems should do.

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  4. Wonderful write! Very deep and touching. Leans toward sad, but seems to hang on to hope.

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    1. Oh thanks so much ... it does lean towards sad but then ... maybe some peace ultimately (hope?) let's hope!

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  5. Ouch, sad poem. A deep wrestling -- on one hand you say "scars grow without permission" but then you say they fall off like autumn leaves. Some growing, some falling? Complicated.

    I love your choice of a blogspot template - and the elephant image -- and, your blogs URL: "leap-in-elephant". But I don't get your quote: Why do elephants (different from other animals) "grow out of time ancient and are timeless"? And why is poetry have those qualities -- in contrast to sculpture, prose, sports, cooking, dance?

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    1. Thank you for your insightful and interesting comments - The second part of it made me think more about my blog itself than I have in some time and I thought I'd try to answer your questions.

      The url is incidental (I couldn't get "leaping elephants" as it was taken) but if you'll notice, that's the actual name of the blog and it is that because I love the thought of these huge animals being able to leap; doing the impossible enchants me - they cannot.

      Elephants do grow out of a time ancient - over 60 million years of evolution actually and still going, which makes them timeless enough for me (not as opposed to anything - just as themselves).

      And poets and poetry are thought to have pre-dated any other type of literature; some historians put it as far back as the cave-dwellers chanting around the earliest fires. Many poems written since then and even being written now are considered "timeless" (depending who's doing the considering) but it's a subjective thing and works well for my quote. Again, it's not against any other art or subject ... and wasn't meant to be. This is a blog I use for poetry almost exclusively so it seemed appropriate to create a quote for it, and as you mentioned - the blogger template of this elephant is rather fine, so it all went together well as far as could tell.

      Again, thank you for coming, reading and commenting - and thanks also for making me think about the actual blog - it was good for me!

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  6. wow, this one turned you inward....love the descriptors...the thought of the heart rusting through....def evocative and melancholy...and hoping to be filled once more...

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    1. Yeah - every poem or six, I do seem to need to go inward - glad you liked it. Thanks for stopping by Brian - I always enjoy reading your comments - your feedback is invaluable.

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  7. Very thoughtful and thought-provoking. A feeling of sadness permeates the poem, but it has some beautiful lines throughout. Truly I believe there can be great peace in aloneness, if it is aloneness that a person has sought. And some do.

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    1. You are so right Mary - even tho' this poem might not indicate it clearly, aloneness is something I am often seeking and do treasure ... thanks for coming by, reading and commenting.

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  8. Reflective, beautiful... I especially like:


    And even though scars grow without my permission
    Over damage we have inflicted simultaneously
    I seem able to lessen their callous nature as the years go by

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    1. Thanks Laurie ... those are some of my favourite lines also ...

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  9. beautifully sad. loved it.

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    1. Thanks so much nephriel - I appreciate you stopping by, reading and commenting.

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  10. sad, and beautiful. love the closing lines.

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    1. Thank you so much. I have to say, I love your nick "insanebloom" - that's inspired!

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  11. Emotionally honest, searching and beautiful.

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    1. Thanks Anna! I appreciate your kind and insightful comments very much.

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  12. The analogies in this are all striking and apt, and the question at the end haunting.

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    1. Thanks so much hedgewitch ... I'm glad the poem was able to touch you

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  13. this may be something so close to heart.....enjoyed......

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  14. sreeja - glad you were able to stop, read, comment, and especially that you enjoyed! Thanks so much!

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  15. much to ponder here...deeply thought provoking, particularly the ending.

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    1. Thanks so much Laura - it's an old one that I keep rewriting from time to time and partly it's because I do ponder it I think ... glad you stopped by and found it thought-provoking

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