Tuesday, April 12, 2011

A Beginning Invisible to Witness (Poem)

A Beginning Invisible to Witness

How was I to keep
      the pace, his cells breaking

down, my own choke-hold
      on words not loosed fast

enough to complete
      his mantra of hope

rocked by a sickled moon,
      its arc and my aching

over his coming demise
      leaving too much whitespace

to silence containing itself.
      Later, rouged, my lips could be

coached to bloom into May's rosette
      of memories, each turning in

toward the other, each courting
      the curve of fact before and after

the cells completed division, each tracking
      back to a beginning invisible to witness.

© 2011 Maureen E. Doallas
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I offer this poem for the One Shot Wednesday event at One Stop Poetry, which each week invites poets to share, read, and comment on each other's work. Be sure to visit the site late Tuesday afternoon and every Wednesday for links to the many contributors' poems.
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23 comments:

  1. GlynnApril 12, 2011 at 6:47 AM

    There's a sadness here in the beauty of these words, a sadness in the determination to go on. Beautiful poem, Maureen.

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  2. Louise GallagherApril 12, 2011 at 7:00 AM

    Heart-piercingly beautiful.

    Thank you my friend. Stunning words and imagery.

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  3. RuthApril 12, 2011 at 9:56 AM

    I appreciate the rock and rhythm here, Maureen. It feels the way life feels, with that bloom and then collapse, back and forth. The couplets work well here.

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  4. Hannah StephensonApril 12, 2011 at 10:29 AM

    I love how this poem is comprised of is two sentences. There is much that you say with little (one of the strengths of your work, always).

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  5. Joyce WycoffApril 12, 2011 at 11:01 AM

    The ache of loss put so beautifully.

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  6. AnonymousApril 12, 2011 at 1:48 PM

    o the largeness of loss
    like a monster
    under the bed
    hiding
    around corners
    in pockets
    closets
    and drawers

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  7. UnknownApril 12, 2011 at 5:05 PM

    beautiful piece... very vivid

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  8. *April 12, 2011 at 5:09 PM

    "rocked by a sickled moon,
    its arc and my aching"

    --and I am aching reading this beautiful piece, Maureen. Thank you for it.

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  9. LauraApril 12, 2011 at 5:21 PM

    heartbreaking maureen...such a clear depiction of the pain of loving one who is dying.

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  10. Brian MillerApril 12, 2011 at 5:23 PM

    there is a deep sadness in that division...wonderfully written though...

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  11. UnknownApril 12, 2011 at 5:34 PM

    the absolutely heartwrenching song of a loved one left behind.

    so well done.

    i hope you have found some comfort.

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  12. AnonymousApril 12, 2011 at 5:44 PM

    Love the word choice, the tone, the line breaks and shape. Powerful and tragic poem.

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  13. AnonymousApril 12, 2011 at 5:48 PM

    So strong Maureen, a deep breath taken to move forward, felt this so deeply...very powerful ~April

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  14. LeslieApril 12, 2011 at 7:10 PM

    it is beautifully sad...

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  15. JerryApril 12, 2011 at 8:13 PM

    Maureen, I read this over and over and it's cyclical nature broke down cells of grief. I love the economy of words you use in your writing to underline what happens to many, many people who are intimate with life stealing disease, yourself included.

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  16. MaureenApril 12, 2011 at 8:27 PM

    Thank you all for the many generous comments today. I had thought, perhaps, I had no more to express about my brother's death but as May nears it all floods back and demands attention in the only way I can deal with it: with words.

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  17. violetApril 12, 2011 at 10:25 PM

    So moving. I especially like that image/thought of the "beginning invisible to witness." So many beginnings are that subtle.

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  18. signed...bkmApril 12, 2011 at 11:41 PM

    Oh Maureen this takes to where I have been these past few weeks --your words in there sadness express the invisible aspect of disease...taking from us life so silently .....may your writing be healing as your memories return for attention...blessings..bkm

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  19. CorbieApril 13, 2011 at 10:56 AM

    Sadness and grief, beautifully written. It is often hard to share such pain, thank you for doing it so eloquently.

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  20. hedgewitchApril 13, 2011 at 11:02 AM

    Subtle yet perfectly plain, like reflections of the moon on still water; excellent, sad, and truthful writing, Maureen--lines like "..each courting the curve of fact..." just stellar use of language.

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  21. BubbaApril 13, 2011 at 11:24 AM

    I really dig your expression "mantra of hope" -it tells a story in itself.

    Another strong piece, Maureen.

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  22. S. EtoleApril 13, 2011 at 7:07 PM

    deeply moving ...

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  23. AnonymousApril 14, 2011 at 8:17 PM

    your poem is a great tribute to the one you lost, as well to those of us who have lost our own loves to cancer..."rocked by a sickle moon" that one has me for some reason ~ a beautiful line... thank you for sharing~

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