Friday, November 25, 2011

slippin into darkness



And I was
Slipping into darkness
Slipping away
Slipping free
Free to see all the people
Slipping up the street
And around the corner
Standing with eyes open
Fixed on
Better places and better ways
To get it, make it, plan it
Their mind beyond the dreams
As I was
Slipping into darkness
I didn’t know my name
Call me, find me, free me
In the slip, ready
Cash in my hand, money on my mind
And the drunken people
In the pews
Calling on the sword
To smite their unseen enemies
For the lack of mirrors
Turned from their own reflections
Less they see the need
Of corrected stance
When I heard my mother say
That I was slipping
Into darkness
Treading a edge
Between margins and marginalization
My brother sought my face
And yet, I didn’t recognize
Me
Wholly, slowly, holy
No one understood
Save the man in the alley
How one gets lost
In broad daylight
Waiting to get found
Yet needing to be
Lost, remembered, alone
Sucking on my salvations
I sat on steps of promises
Though I know they are out of order
I’ve been
Slipping into darkness
On rhymes, on dreams, on grief
On counselor’s wings
The program works
If you do it
Unless you can’t remember how
I am
Slipping into darkness
The piper taunts, teases, tries
My patience
For what I think I need
And pretty soon
I’m gonna pay

© NP
11/22/11

Monday, November 14, 2011

Unnamed



“Not viable”
Words
Ringing over and over
In my ears
Bouncing off my brain
What did he mean?
I wanted him
And he was mine
All mine
I had waited years
For just the moment
When I would hold him in my arms
Planned
For the day
He would arrive
In my life way
I worked to be my best
Prepared my heart
Just for him
“Not viable”
The words seemed
A cruel joke
I was ready
For the whole world to know
That I had been blessed
Among women
For he would have
Been me and I him
“Not viable”
I lay on my bed
Waiting for the pain
That I knew would come
Waiting for the pain
That I knew had stopped
Tears fell in rivers
The medicine had no effect
On my heart
Alone
As I always was, am
“Not viable”
My body yielded to
Commands
Split into
My body, heart, soul
No cries
Heard
No flowers and smiles
Family or friends
No rejoicing
For those
“Not viable”
And
birthed
Still
© NP
11/11