~Natsuki Takaya
Not exactly sure how I heard about Mr. Leonard, but odds are, it was Ariana.
Keith Leonard
Ode to the Unsayable
by Keith Leonard
There was a word
I was taught
not to say
in the gym, or on
the basketball court,
the playground,
and sometimes
at home, and so
I took to picturing
this word
locked in my gut
as a sun beam staved
and skinny
dungeon inmate.
read the rest here
**********
Today's Poetry Friday round-up is at My Juicy Little Universe. Thanks, Heidi!
Oof. Yes. This is what I particularly noticed and which made my heart soar as I watched the DNC speeches--the people spoke of LOVE. There are so many virtues to pursue, but the way I learned it as a child was "the greatest of these is love." I'm pretty sure it's objectively provable, too!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tabatha. I hope your two older birds have flown safely to their new homes.
I found the surprise Keith Leonard
ReplyDeleteled me to, in this poem.
Glad to meet him.
In fact, I've loved
meeting him.
Appreciations, Tabatha.
How beautiful! Thanks for sharing this one, Tabatha!
ReplyDelete...and again, love. Love this poem, Tabatha. The whole poem but especially the lines:
ReplyDelete"You learned to focus
on tuffs of grass
that seemed
to litter the dirt" It really make me think about differing perspectives. Thanks for sharing. =)
Wow. And a hearty YES. Thanks so much for sharing, Tabatha.
ReplyDeleteOh my...the power of words, the power of love.
ReplyDeleteYes. again. There is power in that word, especially when it has feet.
ReplyDeletePowerful poem. A four-letter word that carries chains.
ReplyDeleteI recently read an essay from a woman who was abused, and one of the things she said her mother did was that she never used the word "love" in the house, to any of the children. This poem touches that, at least to me, and I thought it must be something horrible to experience. Thanks for this, love felt!
ReplyDeleteI remember a woman who, when raising her children, disciplined them simply by saying "I won't love you anymore." Although I was young myself, I knew how cruel that was for a mother to say. Thanks for sharing this thought-provoking poem.
ReplyDeleteThanks for introducing another interesting poet and very honest poem. It makes you wonder how many people are walking around starved and shriveled inside for lack of love.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this. The poem and the author.
ReplyDeleteThe word that came to mind was "powerful," and I see it came to everyone else's mind too! Thank you for sharing this. So good.
ReplyDeleteAnd when I did
ReplyDeletelift a torch
to the wrought-iron door
where this yardbird
jangled his chains
like hell-smithed
windchimes, he held
his palms open
to a bath of light
washing the dank stones.
Sigh.... just letting those words sink in and glow.
Oh, wow. That one took me by surprise. This resonates with the poem Linda Mitchell shared. (It's so fun when there are echoes throughout the PF Roundup!!)
ReplyDeleteTouching and powerful, Tabatha - and so important for our world. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteSuch a thought provoking poem. Thanks for sharing this one, Tabatha!
ReplyDeleteI'm reading REAL BOYS: RESCUING OUR SONS FROM THE MYTHS OF BOYHOOD right now and it touches on many of the themes in this poem.
ReplyDeleteThese lines struck me: If you
were a boy
in America
maybe they beat
this word
into the dudgeon
of you, too.
Wow, he's new to me. I loved that. Thanks, Tabatha!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful poem. Thank you.
ReplyDelete