Endings aren’t sad. So I tell myself to love
closed doors, locked windows, and stopped clocks
like I crave your embrace in still midwinter.
In two weeks, I will be staring at a closed lid and
pulse my hands beneath my thighs. I will watch the
second hand move as her family enters the door,
ellipsing the not-sad ending like ants. Then, I will smell spring rain through a wide-open pane.
A/N: Addressed to someone different than the "her" who died.
About the Creator
Mackenzie Davis
“When you are describing a shape, or sound, or tint, don’t state the matter plainly, but put it in a hint. And learn to look at all things with a sort of mental squint.” Lewis Carroll
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Copyright Mackenzie Davis.
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Comments (7)
Nice work
"pulse my hands beneath my thighs" Omgggg, that line hit me so hard! Sending you lots of love and hugs ❤️
Striking imagery and full of feeling, this one. The contrast between a locked window and a wide-open pane is neat, and the picture of a grieving family as ants, showing how life goes on, is powerful🙌
‘pulse my hands beneath my thighs’ was such a strong image for me, and I loved ‘ellipsing the not-sad ending like ants’. The last line was just simple and beautiful, a lovely portrayal of detachment from the ceremonies of sadness 💕
I love the nuance in this, holding loss and life at once.
This is gorgeously written but heartbreakingly sad. “ So I tell myself to love closed doors, locked windows, and stopped clocks like I crave your embrace in still midwinter.” Wow, breathtaking
Wow... you return to us, out of the great void of the real world, and you bring with you such amazing gifts, Mackenzie Claus! Thank you so much for this poem. Personally, the line that struck the most with me was "like I crave your embrace in the cold midwinter" Just... damn... you really hit me hard in the feels. Lying alone on the cold midwinter nights this past snowy season was hard. I'd never known that a winter night could be lonely before but after having someone to share it with the previous winter... I finally know what that's like. That line hit me so hard, I don't think I'll be able to properly explain it