PLACES OF DANGER

(The Meat Rack, Battery Beach, Durban)

I searched for you
in the faces of strangers
in places of danger
I knelt to mouth
my silent prayers
in supplication
to inaccessible gods

Dogs they were
who once the worshipper was fed
kept the searcher at bay
and fled
leaving me with the bitterness
of their unholy sacrament

But you remained
and grinning from the dark
while the barking of the others
began to fade
you blessed me
with your smile
with the electric touch
of your healing
finger tips
you cleansed my soiled lips

You were searching too
and found me
in the most unlikely place
I wonder at the absurdity
of this final
meeting place

Although I searched for you
I never thought
I’d meet you here
perhaps at some bus station
or the queue at the grocery store
or sharing a beer
but not on this beach
face to face
and so exposed

Will you make me whole again?
will you separate me from all the sordid pictures of my past?
will you teach me love?


(Collage: Loving Hands by Carlton)
© Carlton Carr 2013
http://othervoices.blog.co.uk/