assemble

Part | One

Glory.

Glory.

Glory to the spines of the tiny creatures,

Glory to the twig cracking underfoot.

Glory to the damp moss and the dripping forest.

Glory to the sky swimming into the sea.

Glory to all the survivors.

Glory to those who did not survive.

Glory to those who are devoted.

Glory to those with the softest hearts.

I don’t know you.

You don’t know me.

The plot thickens, the task is incomplete.

Glory to the arch of your foot, the swoop of your clavicle.

Glory to the soft curve of your hip, glory to the freckles that appear only in summer.

Glory to all the things that could be beautiful, glory to all the things that could break your heart.

Do you know which one I am?

Am I guarded or am I brave?

Am I foolish or wise?

Am I determined or am I hopeless?

Do you know which one I am?

***

Part | Two

I remember

I remember the day when it cracked

the envelope of light

I remember the absence of myself in that room

the presence of everybody else.

the pain that broke me

the rising up against it

I remember the day you protected the spirit in your chest

how my eyes feasted

I remember the quiet,

the hush of the hall

the grace of your arms

the chamber in my chest

I remember the things that happened before

I could remember.

Follow the longing

the insatiable urging

the heartbeat knocking

…. reach your heavy paws into space and love the world….

I remember the sisters whom I have never met

and the wars I never fought

I carry the weight of a burden that is not mine

I carry

I carry your heart inside of my breast.

***

Part | Three

I never want to turn my back on you,

or on the world.

There is no room for cynicism - no room for that particular apathy.

Oh great Prevaricator!

Telling me all the things I should and should not do.

How ungainly you make me,

how burdened.

It’s ok to renounce and move on.

But never, never say goodbye to the world.

Take off the blanket of comfort and safety,

be easeful in other ways.

I hang on so tight to you, it’s like I’m drowning.

It’s like I don’t believe I will float in that next sea.

Nothing about me is graceful.

I look over my shoulder, I search for you in everything.

I see you around every corner,

I see you waiting at every bus stop.

I hear you humming in every dream, your lashes soft on my cheek.

What will happen when you leave me? When I lose track of you? When I have to change?

What will happen when the state shifts?

We are like lilies.

We are beautiful, but we are not permanent.

Will I ever come to terms with this?

Will you wait until I am ready?

We can be poised and ageless, like Mary Poppins seemed to be when we were children.

I hope you will feed me that magic potion of sugar and sadness,

I hope you will drop it on my tongue with delight,

not despair.

I hope I will receive it like a heroine,

like a goddess,

like rapture.

I hope you will play that song

in my ear

as you leave.