Thursday, October 22, 2009

Poem: Allness

This poem was written sometime earlier this year... for some reason, I didn't mark down a date when I wrote it, which is unlike me. Maybe my subconscious was leading me to focus on the timelessness of the feelings I expressed-- or maybe I just forgot. Either way, here it is.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

for j

i want to cultivate it for you
and plant it on the windowsill
nurture it carefully
with the tenderness i can’t seem to show my houseplants
watch you, watching it grow
struggling upward, outward, despite my tendencies to neglect…

i want to honor it for you
set up an altar in our home
create a ritual of tea and scones,
sitting and standing,
call and response,
write a hymn that exposes a hidden longing for reverence…

i want to color it for you
paint it in sprays of pastel, bursts of neon
set up special lighting and bright bulbs
and watch it send prisms
into every dark corner
a dancing masterpiece that exists completely outside the lines…

and yet…
i want to capture it, for me
wrap it in yellowed lace and lay it beneath pressed flowers,
bury it under layers of ancient quilts and place it in a keepsake chest,
slide the chest below the extra bed in the unused guest room,
and keep it there,
cherished.
protected.
secret.
safe.

but all i can do
is offer it to you
daily
hourly
minute by minute…
the allness
of the everythingness
of my love for you.


© M.S.E.

2 comments:

  1. Reading this caused a physical reaction in me...the intake of breath and welling up of my eyes. You are so incredibly talented Melanie. Your words actually reach out and touch the soul.

    ReplyDelete
  2. And reading your words makes me so grateful that we are friends. Thank you so much for being so constant and faithful, and for the sincerity of your responses. xo

    ReplyDelete