We Go Deep (Poem)

Waimea Canyon, Kauai, Hawaii
Image Courtesy of Kathleen Overby

Used With Permission

We Go Deep

What unseen hand
cleaved her side,
removed her structure's ribbing,
nerve endings left tissue-paper thin,
her face unnaturally open and blistering?

See. She breathes in the spaces between,
her peeled back skin not having to remember
the distance spent tunneling to the heart,
every layer become a scar accumulating wisdom.

Her seam of connections curling in
on themselves, she commands we notice
she stands still,
her knot of tension the scrim rimming edges
of then and now.

We go deep,
she wants to say
be grateful,
look for how the light inside reveals.

© 2010 Maureen E. Doallas
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I wrote this image poem for Tuesday's Blog Carnival, sponsored by Bridget Chumbley at One Word at a Time.

The Blog Carnival is a biweekly online event open to anyone. Participants write either original poetry or prose reflecting their consideration of or response to the one-word prompt or topic. The prompt for November 16 is "gratitude".

At Bridget's place, you'll find a list of links to all of the Blog Carnival contributions, which are posted throughout Tuesday and often through to the end of the week.

The Blog Carnival's FaceBook page is here.

The prompt for the next Blog Carnival, scheduled for Tuesday, November 30, is "fellowship". The complete schedule of prompts through the end of the year is available at Bridget's and also on the FaceBook page.

Special thanks go to Kathleen Overby, who invited me to write a poem inspired by her photograph. Kathleen can be found at both Almost Paradisical and Neoteny.

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I offer this poem also for One Stop Poetry's weekly "One Shot Wednesday" event. Be sure to visit the site late Tuesday afternoon and every Wednesday for links to the many contributors' "one shot" poems.