deepundergroundpoetry.com
Of Bones & Hands
I.
when I was eight
we walked to school
via an overgrown path
affectionately known
as The Spinney
I remember leaves
crunching beneath
autumn boots
when I spotted
a small skull in the dirt,
the flesh all gone.
The books said
it was a squirrel
I wrapped it up
took it home
cleaned it
carried it earnestly
to show & tell that week
where I talked about
my strange treasure
the faces divided
amongst shock and awe
where death made me
five new friends
ii.
the first boy I ever loved
was the vicar’s son
he had long fingers
that danced effortlessly
over the neck of a guitar
I watched, pondering
what else he could strum
to this day, never knowing.
Years later,
he became successful
with one of his songs
wrote meaningful lyrics,
played Glastonbury once
married a girl
who knew his wrists
in the silent dark
iii.
sometimes
I pluck animals from
moist moorland dirt
mandibles
hip bones
spines
say a prayer
for what once was
allow grief
to softly find me
iv.
the bible
talks of performing miracles
of expelling demons
with the laying of hands
I often wonder
if that’s where it started
the power in that,
the amplification
of all things good
v.
when I see
his collarbones
they rise from him
like tumbling graves
and I am alive
revering a time
when to explore
barren land
was to marvel at
the beauty of life.
Sometimes I lose myself
in the poetry of his body,
in the small of his bare back
curl up in that V on his neck
knowing home exists
as I wait for dawn,
the sound of the lark
knowing grey wilds
have forever left their mark
Published 18th Jun 2024
All writing remains the property of the author. Don't use it for any purpose without their permission.
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The author encourages honest critique.
18th Jun 2024 12:30pm
Your writing is just so good... accessible, but always deep. I often don't know what to say, but since I've read this 5 times over, I thought I should at least make an attempt this time!
I love each little vignette here, but especially the way it's organized in an overall arc from childhood to now, from wilderness to home... ("home" is a big word for me lately, it always jumps out as if in neon lights) And through it all, the sense of wonder, and the way each section leaves me wanting more of each story....
Anyway, it's a wonder-full write. As in, it makes me wonder a lot of things. I wish I could get out of my own way long enough to write like this. Thanks for sharing it.
❤️k
I love each little vignette here, but especially the way it's organized in an overall arc from childhood to now, from wilderness to home... ("home" is a big word for me lately, it always jumps out as if in neon lights) And through it all, the sense of wonder, and the way each section leaves me wanting more of each story....
Anyway, it's a wonder-full write. As in, it makes me wonder a lot of things. I wish I could get out of my own way long enough to write like this. Thanks for sharing it.
❤️k
18th Jun 2024 3:36pm
Hey 👋
Glad to see you popping in to my space. Awfully good of you.
I really appreciated this comment because it shows you thought about it. That comment about how the poem arcs from childhood to the present day is really relevant and I’m so glad that came across. Thank you so much for noticing that.
I’ll bear it in mind about separate story expansion some time. That might be good for future poems.
Thanks for taking some time on this. I appreciate that.
-M
Glad to see you popping in to my space. Awfully good of you.
I really appreciated this comment because it shows you thought about it. That comment about how the poem arcs from childhood to the present day is really relevant and I’m so glad that came across. Thank you so much for noticing that.
I’ll bear it in mind about separate story expansion some time. That might be good for future poems.
Thanks for taking some time on this. I appreciate that.
-M
19th Jun 2024 4:03pm
I went on the journey. It produced a vivid image of childhood, and brought back memories of first loves.
The wonder at things like skulls, that adults no longer see after years of disillusionment.
Regards
James
The wonder at things like skulls, that adults no longer see after years of disillusionment.
Regards
James
19th Jun 2024 6:29pm
Hey there
Thanks for dropping in and leaving your thoughts. I really appreciate your comment about how adults struggle to continue to see the world with child like wonder. I’m not sure at what stage we lost all that.
Thanks for your comment. Decent of you.
-M
Thanks for dropping in and leaving your thoughts. I really appreciate your comment about how adults struggle to continue to see the world with child like wonder. I’m not sure at what stage we lost all that.
Thanks for your comment. Decent of you.
-M
19th Jun 2024 11:45pm
