deepundergroundpoetry.com
!!: The First Breath
Standing naked in the shadow
of the devil's belly,
in my dark lean-to,
I take a moment to release myself.
Not taking breaths,
but letting them in.
I realize
I am cold in this shade,
this black bite of turmoil,
and that it is dark enough
to see the shapes of whatever I want
and to keep myself haunted,
hungover from that goat man's gut
constantly hanging over.
Where the childhood wings were ripped out of my back,
I ache, finally -
I notice I'm clothed
in a chain
and a loose, heavy necklace,
big enough to escape.
I turn it into a floating collar,
a rusty halo,
and then a clang
behind me.
I want to move again,
and so I will.
of the devil's belly,
in my dark lean-to,
I take a moment to release myself.
Not taking breaths,
but letting them in.
I realize
I am cold in this shade,
this black bite of turmoil,
and that it is dark enough
to see the shapes of whatever I want
and to keep myself haunted,
hungover from that goat man's gut
constantly hanging over.
Where the childhood wings were ripped out of my back,
I ache, finally -
I notice I'm clothed
in a chain
and a loose, heavy necklace,
big enough to escape.
I turn it into a floating collar,
a rusty halo,
and then a clang
behind me.
I want to move again,
and so I will.
Published 16th Jul 2020
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16th Jul 2020 7:37pm
Wonderfully empowering poem, Rowan. The magic of transforming something meant for oppression into something of light is available to us through our own personal perception. I remember a story by Cory Ten Boom's story, 'What Fleas Can Teach Us About Gratitude'. Cliff notes here, but when she was in a concentration camp during the Holocaust, her and her sister Betsie gave thanks for the infestation of fleas. It was the very fleas that kept the guards from assaulting any of the women in their barracks.
Perception is a powerful thing that allows you to claim your personal power regardless of the confines placed upon your spirit.
Wonderfully enlightening verse. <3
Perception is a powerful thing that allows you to claim your personal power regardless of the confines placed upon your spirit.
Wonderfully enlightening verse. <3
