All the lost places

Gold cherry
Poem of the week

By lavadis

Fri, 08 May 2020
  • 5883 reads
17 comments
 
 
I moved the bed last night 
and found you underneath, 
reading.  
‘Don’t mind me’
you said, 
making a blissful violence 
with your mouth 
‘I am neither treasure 
nor trove.’
‘But I do mind you’ 
I said 
‘I do’
 
Last week you were 
tiger cage wedged 
under the hob,
the week before 
it was the spider skin 
crawl space 
between the ironing board 
and the mop bucket.
 
‘You appreciate I am not 
actually here’ you told me,
‘this is some kind of 
psychogenic 
memory disorder 
triggered by traumatic loss.’ 
‘You are not helping' 
I said, 
Hoovering around
your head 
 
Today you are in the wardrobe 
hanging by your toes, 
amongst my shirts, 
tomorrow it will be the fireplace 
and then the dishwasher 
 
‘I cannot say goodbye’
I say, 
opening the freezer 
in the garage 
and discovering you,
snow fox huddled, 
underneath the bags
of frozen peas
‘then drive me to the 
woods 
behind the old house 
and bury me in 
a cache which you
must never open’
You said
‘Will that be enough?’
I asked 
 
The spade and the 
earth,
the wine 
and the laughter 
the insatiable cruelty 
of memory

 

Certificate U
Poem
Poetry
Fantasy

Comments

Submitted by airyfairy on

A truly beautiful poem about loss, and it's our Facebook and Twitter Pick of the Day.  Please do share if you like it too.

Lavadis - I'm assuming the image is one of your own?  

Submitted by lavadis on

I was sitting here for my 8th week alone in this house because of the lock down. Still stumbling over possessions which belong to someone long gone in some ways but still here in others. Thank you for your kind words. This was not at all easy to write but the words wanted to come out 

 

Submitted by airyfairy on

This is also our Poem of the Week - congratulations!  

Submitted by littleditty on

It's a great poem. A haunting, by object - your tour sent chills. Really good!

 

Submitted by lavadis on

Thank you very much Litle Ditty for taking the time to read it 

 

Submitted by onemorething on

Startlingly brilliant and very moving. Rachel :)

 

Submitted by lavadis on

Thank you Rachel it was hard to write. 

 

Submitted by drew_gummerson on

A very well deserved poem of the week. Brilliant. Loved it. 

 

Submitted by lavadis on

That is hugely appreciated. It is such a blessing to have a community like ABC in which to post this kind of heartfelt work 

 

Submitted by MarciaMarcia on

Oh My God !!!  
      Soulful beauty in word                                               
      deeply sounded in pain                                     
      bottomless pitted in longing                                            
      an earth of earth in resolve

 How You Move the Very Heart That Listens

     Thank You LAvadis for Your Gifting This...Marcia Marcia

                                              
                                                            
        

Submitted by lavadis on

Very kind of you indeed 

 

Submitted by lavadis on

 

 

Submitted by Mark Burrow on

I always think of ghosts as our most powerful memories.

Lovely poem. 

 

Submitted by lavadis on

Thank you Mark. I do wonder about that - our homes are charged with experience and emotions in potent quantities and the sense of them tints and tinges the space between our glances.

 

Submitted by Sweet T Marie on

"‘You appreciate I am not 
actually here’ you told me,
‘this is some kind of 
psychogenic 
memory disorder 
triggered by traumatic loss.’ 
‘You are not helping' 
I said, 
Hoovering around
your head"

 

Really hit me hard as someone who has CPTSD, I could feel the pure raw emotion from the interactions of the two characters. I understand from your comment replies that it wasn't for you to write this, I appreciate you sharing this lovely poem with us! Beautiful!

~Sweet T

Submitted by lavadis on

Thank you Tarabyte, as you say, emotions do not get any more raw than this. As I attempt to look forwards not back I wish these words and feelings would take their place in my rear view mirror. They are part of my DNA now however and we cannot deny that any more than we can deny our physical bodies. So writing them down, like I did in Mars, gives them an external place to live.

 

Submitted by Sweet T Marie on

You're welcome. Beautifully spoken, I agree with you wholeheartedly. Writing and other artistic endevours is the motor keeps us going on this journey. My thoughts are with you during this time, Namaste.

~Sweet T