Survivors

Survivors

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Today


© Steve King
All rights reserved


Today I will greet sunrise with a glance.
It will have to be enough, just seeing—
Empty of new words for the old things,
I’ve done the best to rid myself of them,
shaking bare the word-bins,
purging old and occult motives
with a stream of gilt verbosity.
Emptied are all ill-stocked compartments,
shuttered now, swept clean
of all compunction and desire,
leaving few the rooms that must be kept
to tend a winter season of the soul.

And I will see
what I will see.

It must be enough today
to ply the uses of proximity,
make of it a ready world,
here, where I may gather and restore.
Further words would only draw my thoughts
back to an unintelligible map
filled with strange detours and false starts,
crossroads where I’d be constrained
to choose approaches to unknown ends,
paths a fickle will might not refuse.

No loss, or not so much…
Words often either aren’t enough,
or ring of hubris.
At their simplest, just cries of the heart, I guess.
Aren’t there enough of those to go around?
And how the heart itself does change…
Who would ever trust those cries for long?

I will see…
When I’m ready, you’ll know.
I’ll pick up the phone,
bring more complication to your afternoon.
You’ll see the number flashing,
perhaps recall my voice
and what it said last time.
You may even smile as you reach,
expecting me to say—
But you would be dismayed, this day:
remembering that I was out of words,
I’d probably hang up before you spoke…

I trust there is some way you’ll be assured—
if I have given up on the old words
it’s only to divine another way.
More quickly than I might foretell from this present refuge,
within these moments of…not saying,
it’s certain some new musings will emerge
to win exemption from intemperate vows.
They will populate these shadows,
the silence and the empty space it fills;
will reach beyond old words,
beyond the weight of wearied thoughts
that lead only to this...

It remains to be seen.
I’ll relish what this solitude allows,
but just as gladly draw the curtain
on this closing day.
Old silence will beget a welcoming void,
to echo with new murmurs of its own.
All pious tribulations gone,
grim musings undone;
each ready moment
filled with whole new seasons just begun,
crowding out those tones of twilight,
calling, as a larkbird lauds the sun,
upon a waiting chorus of tomorrows,
new gathered spirits singing then as one.

13 comments:

  1. The solitude can be grand
    But it is nice to have a hand
    And spread out those wings
    Doing more than rings
    And first once more
    Here at your shore.

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  2. "They will populate these shadows,
    the silence and the empty space it fills;
    will reach beyond old words,
    beyond the weight of wearied thoughts
    that lead only to this..."

    I love that!

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  3. You always manage to strike a chord with your words, Steve--this is a feeling that seems very close to me right now, despite my own 'gilt verbosity' which is legion. At some point you look in the word box and find it full of words that you've already used, thoughts you've thought to shreds, emotions worn so long you can't even distinguish the colors. I especially like the fourth stanza--and the simple "I will see/what I will see..." that has as many layers as you want to put there.

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  4. leaving few the rooms that must be kept
    to tend a winter season of the soul...that tending of the soul and our inner life is so important and a great lead in as well to your story of trying to find the words...really nice depth of feeling in this that is familiar as well...

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  5. "I’ll relish what this solitude allows,
    but just as gladly draw the curtain
    on this closing day."

    Some days there are no words, there seems to be nothing to say that hasn't been said before, and the silence and solitude is actually a welcome respite from the twisting chaos of our thoughts. And sometimes it's in that silence that creative ideas speak the loudest. Excellent poem, Steve. I love all that you expressed in this.

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  6. You only see what your eyes want to see...

    aah!
    isn't it so!
    Lovely usage of words mixed with crackling symphonic expressions!
    Well done Steve!

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  7. I love this...Further words would only draw my thoughts
    back to an unintelligible map
    filled with strange detours and false starts,
    crossroads where I’d be constrained
    to choose approaches to unknown ends,
    paths a fickle will might not refuse........Wonderful write, Steve.

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  8. The Carl comment is mine...I was signed in to my husband's gmail :)

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  9. I like the reflections of silence, shaking out the old and finding new words, specially the last stanza. Lovely work Steve~

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  10. "I’ll pick up the phone,
    bring more complication to your afternoon.
    You’ll see the number flashing,
    perhaps recall my voice
    and what it said last time.
    You may even smile as you reach,
    expecting me to say—
    But you would be dismayed, this day:
    remembering that I was out of words,
    I’d probably hang up before you spoke…"

    all of this is very well written, but i especially liked this stanza. sometimes, i can go days and days without uttering a word, and to hear myself suddenly speak is sometimes quite a shock. but i understand this feeling very well. good to read your work again

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  11. Steve- I so enjoyed this, especially:

    Emptied are all ill-stocked compartments,
    shuttered now, swept clean
    of all compunction and desire,
    leaving few the rooms that must be kept
    to tend a winter season of the soul.

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  12. So much here that resonates, so much to admire...none more than "words often aren't enough or either ring of hubris" I like the notion of housecleaning bins of words...Really like this work alot, Steve!

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  13. "It remains to be seen.
    I’ll relish what this solitude allows," I find so often silence speaks to me...and then, sometimes my own words will find their way to break the surface tension.

    beautiful, beautiful writing.

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