All Souls' Day
The feast of little goblins
is over again. Your own
was a pirate, her small hat
askew. And you
are everywhere
absent, as ever. and I
live without you
just this side
of that door.
A man
in the suburbs
where we went
trick or treating
threw candy from
his second story
window. "Are you
brave? Are you brave?"
He asked
the children.
Of course they said yes.
Of course they couldn't know.
Wordless, I can't
everywhere
wordless
without you.
I never can. Never can
live. I live.
Without you,
a lot of things
make me angry at once.
I can't seem to stay
where I should be, in this
velvet darkness, at the edge
of a safe lawn
on a safe street, waiting
for our daughter to return
with her treats.
When you say you are brave
you get candy. That is still
what we have to believe.
posted by lisa schamess @ 14:44
5 Comments:
I *love* this poem. It's a beautiful expression. I wonder what inspired a guy to throw candy out a second story window, but I like the fact that it inspired your thought of how kids can't possibly know what bravery is based on catching candy from a high window in a house. Any kid who knows bravery for real, from facing a tragedy like living with a disease or something, would probably laugh at the man in the second story window or ask "What is he talking about?" I would hope such a kid might say "Just gimme the candy like a regular trick or treat house and let me get on with it." I guess that's what my inner child is saying.
I hope your gang had a good time on the safe streets. I had a good time with a 5 year old Sleeping Beauty and a 2 year old Yoda. I stayed up too late chatting with the hockey player mom friend of mine tho, so I'm still catching up on sleep. ;) Love, Lara
Beautiful!
Beautiful poem. Wearing your heart on your sleeve, I see.
I also don't know why the guy was throwing candy from the window, unless he was too un-brave to open the door to strangers...
As I lay there, reading the poem, I could not prevent my mind from seeking the answer to the "velvet darkness".
Some people, such as myself, often try to examine too thouroghly things that really have no place in their lives. Poetry, in my opinion, was created for people like me. Poetry is like a puzzle.
I dig through, line by line, stanza by stanza, trying to find the real meaning behind metaphors. I am like a medical examiner. I cut through a poem seeking answers.
This poem was a perfect canidate. I very much enjoyed reading it. It snapped me out of my own little world. It was very heartwarming and I was truely touched.
dear cl,
you should know that after i got over my little crushes on the tin man and the scarecrow, you became my favorite. put 'em up put em up!
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