[ID: 1. A contrapuntal poem titled "on watching a parent age". It can be read three ways:
The Unprepared Daughter:
and if you would-
stay here forever,
tether yourself
to this earth
for you are the sun
in all its glory
and i cannot bear
night,
these cuts
on my hands
cannot be bandaged,
by anyone but you-
what if you go,
though i haven't;
become anything yet
The Proud Father:
let yourself fly, don't
be confined to the ground,
with a tight rope held
by my restraining hand
shining bright,
i see your greatness-
i cannot stand for it to be
time for the flame to go out
and these bruises
are all worth it, though they
cannot be mended
(i'd take them all over again)
i know you'll soar
far and high.
and you (will) do great things
how silly to think you've not
become anything yet?
you already are my everything
The Unprepared Daughter/The Proud Father:
and if you would- let yourself fly, don't
stay here forever, be confined to the ground,
tether yourself with a tight rope held
to this earth by my restraining hand
for you are the sun shining bright,
in all its glory, I see your greatness-
and i cannot bear i cannot stand for it to be
night, time for the flame to go out
these cuts and these bruises
on my hands are all worth it, though they
cannot be bandaged, cannot be mended
by anyone but you- (i'd take them all over again)
i know you'll soar
far and high.
what if you go, and you (will) do great things
though i haven't; how silly to think you've not
become anything yet?
you already are my everything
2. A contrapuntal poem titled "all the days after: a poem on loss". It can be read three ways.
The Early Days:
the sun rises without you, and
the house is quiet.
this slow death,
the loss of my senses-
God took the world' color
and i sit in the grey.
i've lost track of time
i thought the world ended, but
the bird on my porch,
keeps singing.
why has
the ground not caved in?
The Later Days:
the sun rises without you, and
i watch the sky shift-
blue fading to red.
i am building myself back,
and i know i'll be incomplete.
i will adapt to the dullness-
but i won't forget what came before.
i wake up each morning.
proving life perseveres,
i stitch my lungs back together.
the earth kept spinning,
because i willed myself to live
despite it all
The Early Days/The Later Days:
the sun rises without you, and
the house is quiet. i watch the sky shift-
this slow death, blue fading to red.
the loss of my senses- i am building myself back,
God took the world's color and i know i'll be incomplete.
and i sit in the grey. i will adapt to the dullness-
i've lost track of time but i won't forget what came before.
i thought the world ended, but i wake up each morning.
the bird on my porch, proving life perseveres,
keeps singing. i stitch my lungs back together.
why has the earth kept spinning,
the ground not caved in? because i willed myself to live
despite it all
theartofmadeline
annaxmalina
pixelskylines
jacobvanloon
ellievsbear
stormborns
dededos
origamiaround
