The bonfire has burned down to coals,
hot and bright enough to light up the faces
around the cinder block fire ring.
Now the buried stories come:
webs of misunderstanding,
slights that buzz like wasps,
pitfalls of disappointments,
the razor wire of regrets,
and the deep hammering hurts,
almost unsayable, but for the safety here
in this circle.
Release it all.
Those that promised to do, but didn’t,
those that promised to stay, then left,
even those that split you in half,
made you an adversary of your own body,
turned your evenings into enemies.
Release it all: the bindle bag, the rat sack,
cracked clay and sucking muck of it all.
Press it into this stale marshmallow
and pitch it into the coals,
watch it blacken, burst to burning,
then snake out, metastasize,
grow monstrously hollow,
before collapsing and turning to ash —
a grey white nothing.
Now, place your hand on the bone-cage of your heart,
a small gesture of tenderness for the wondrous anatomy of you,
another step toward your forgiving and forgiven,
that is to say, your free and natural state.
And breath and hum and rise.
And because symbols and rituals matter,
repeat when necessary.
What a wonderful poem, full of imagery and poignancy that reminds me that ultimately all forgiveness is self-forgiveness. Thank you.
Thanks so much for this Lori!
A priceless vision of freeing possibilities, except for fearful foreclosure within.
Thanks, Steve!
I like the way you put that Ike. Thank you!
Beautiful. Thank you.
Thank you Joy!
Hand on heart.
Wet sleeves.
Deep bow.
Honoured, grateful, thank you Miriam!
Stephen. This poem pierces into my heart, into the corridors of my soul – and sings a song i need to hear
It is so hard – but in your visually evocative and tenderly wise words – you give me hope, you give me strength and you give me courage
Thank you !
I’m truly humbled by your comment Ananda. And happy for what you found within. Thank you!
So good! May we all practice and practice again.
Thank you Marcia! Yes, to practice.
As always your writing is an enduring gift to your readers. I feel lucky to be one of those readers, especially with this poem.
Thank you! And how lucky I am to have had you as a writing mentor, all those years ago. Blessed by you.