I rode home in an airplane next to death one night.
I sat on the window seat and he on the aisle – an empty seat between us
I was flying from Tampa, from a hospital room where my cousin lay dying,
cancer cells eating her.
his hair was dark and greasy and I can’t remember his face.
I think he ordered a
drink. I try to forget.
All I recall is how cold
I felt, how, bent drawn
spine so cold
(I try to forget – I practice forgetting daily)

In response to Na/GloPoWriMo Day Eighteen prompt, which gave examples of poems that “take elusive, overwhelming feelings, and place them into the physical world, in part through their focus on things we can see and hear and touch.” and challenged us to “write an elegy of your own, one in which the abstraction of sadness is communicated not through abstract words, but physical detail. ”  This song from Rising Appalachia is so worth listening through – the words of the poetic elegy in the middle of the track are haunting and hit my core.

There are 2 invisible antennae that are somewhere on my forehead,
Perhaps at my temples and their hidden sensitivity may be the cause of my propensity towards migraines.
I have developed these appendages as a defensive adaptation for they are skilled at sensing the unsaid.
They perk up and sharpen seeking those unspoken resentments, daggers to be guarded against.
Necessary as a child, it was a matter of survival, sensing, turning, feeling the space in between, their acuity has developed with years of use

I have two other, complimentary appendages which I might call bubble hands –
Not really hands as they are most often activated through spoken word.
But also their work is accomplished through what is left unspoken
The bubble hands are activated in response to the antennae
Their job is is to insulate from emotional daggers
They work equally on both the sender and the target of those sharp arrows
They reach out, patting down, here, there, all around
Bubble wrapping all the sharp edges

And while these have served me in times of need,
And though quite invisible to the undiscerning eye,
I look quite ridiculous to myself walking round with these appendages sticking out of my forehead and sides.
So I cut them off – respectfully I declare that I am cutting them off.

#NaPoWriMo prompt today was to write a poem presenting a scene from from an unusual angle or point of view. In looking for an image of antennae to accompany today’s poem I came across pictures of the Antennae Galaxies – two colliding galaxies. The images are stunning! Not only did I find them on google but here they are in a book in my living room!

Hail bleach bottle,
Full of sodium hypochlorite and water,
The byproducts of chloroform and carbon tetrachloride are with thee.
Blessed are ye among cleaners,
And blessed are the garments, of thy washing machine, White.
Holy Clorox,
Humble base
Eradicate 99.9% of our common household germs
Now, and in the season of the flu.

Our cellphones
Which art in our hands,
Worldly be thy name.
Thy landfills ye fill. Thy chargers be lost on earth, but not in heaven.
Give us this day our hourly forecast.
And may we forward, share, like, reply and send to others as we receive those who have messaged us.
And help us use thee not in temptation, but block for us the trolls:  For thine is the Google, Facebook and Twitter now, but not forever. 👍

2B1

None was so holy as this
Peering through the pane of the Parish house
He prayed for men many hours
seeking
to be one
with the Lord

———————-

None was so holey as this,
Pain piercing through as he perished. How
he was the prey of man, many, ours
“Did you see – King?
to be won…
withered, Oh, Lord!”

I was born of a Sisterhood
that holds me to the
ground
That causes me to open
my hands, palms down
fingers reaching out at
my hips like I’m reaching
Into the earth, the rich
dark earth
Here
planted together
Here
holding-each-other-up

Briskly Winter said to Spring,
“Hey, listen, one more thing,
I know April’s your big reveal
But maybe we can strike a deal.
By now I’m usually on my way,
Storing up my cold and grey,
I rest up in the stratosphere
Then head to the Southern Hemisphere.
But this year I would love to stay.
I promise I’ll be out by May.
You know they love me in December
Singing ‘Let it Snow!’ – Oh I remember
Their joy to find on Christmas Day
I’d sent my snowflakes out to play.
I’m dreaming of white Easter thrills,
Perhaps some frosted daffodils.”

Then Spring in graceful song replied,
“Ok Sir Winter, I’ll abide
You may let your cold winds blow
I’ll even let you send your snow
But be warned that you will find
Humans have a fickle mind
White January hills are fun,
But by mid-March most everyone
Has tucked away their skis and sleds.
They’re cleaning out their garden sheds.
So I’ll hold back my balmy breezes
Till May when your cold reign unfreezes
And then you must be out the door –
Not even one small snowflake more.
With Fall you can negotiate
The next time they accumulate.”

“Oh and Winter, one last thing –
Next February when hearts sing
Of roses red and love so true
I’d like perhaps a week or two.”

I actually wrote this poem on April 10th, 2018. Uncanny that it somewhat fits today’s NaPoWriMo prompt, exactly a year later. I was too flabbergasted that my poem from yesterday was featured to write something new today!

Things that Pull Asunder
When one is unhappy about one’s situation and yet fails to take steps to improve it. When honesty is met with refusal or blame. When one attempts to hide a thing that is obvious. Unopened mail and overflowing garbage cans. When one denies a gift, or the fulfillment of a need out of pride and anger. When a plea for help is misinterpreted as a selfish demand or perhaps a sign of weakness. When all of the dishes have been washed and the dirty water remains in the sink. When tenderness is refused. Hours spent in silence.

Things that Bind
Walks at the park on the first warm spring day with a small child skipping along in delight. The warm, golden smell of yellow rice, beans with sautéed sweet onions, and paneer with spiced greens that fills one’s nose when walking in the door after an exhausting day. When weariness is met with support. When dreams are followed by action. When one is convinced to escape for a few hours to the beach, and despite a fear of riptides and the unknown, is drawn into the blessed coolness of the water. When tenderness is permitted. Hours spent in silence.

The NaPoWriMo day 9 prompt was to write a list of thing in the style of the 10th century poet and Japanese courtier, Sei Shonagon. Her witty and sometimes unsympathetic observations in her Pillow Book make for an entertaining read.