Passion for writing ignites my soul's momentum
I trace the fibre
of each of your lies,
note the intricacy
of their overlapping –
marvel at the depths
of your scheming,
still suffering aftershock
of deception’s braid.
(Tuesdays I borrow from my Twitter poetry. Visit me @Vjknutson. Image from personal collection.)
Treading water
where barracudas swarm,
inject a drop of kindness
incite a ravenous threat
Quick the decision to bail,
shed contamination,
resulting terror –
shame exposed.
Now tread slough
longing floored
robed in foreboding
trembling in shadows.
(I have made poor choices in my life, which still haunt my dreams. My therapist says to focus on the “quick departure”, honour myself for making the right decision in the moment. Still, guilt lives on. Such is the nature of trauma. It lingers in our psyche. Image from personal collection.)
(Warning: trigger)
It wasn’t for want of terror –
inexplicable horror
caused me to quake
There was no one to hear –
a remote lair, boarded
ensured the perfect crime
Even in the aftermath –
self erased, movement
adrenalin automaton
Even then, no sound,
voice stifled by guilt
certainty blame was mine
Art of dissociation
keeps me now, surface
calm – shame numbed
The scream a silent
reverberation
tearing at my soul.
(For Ragtag Community’s daily prompt: scream.)
Creativity lands in unfamiliar,
communicates with the unknown –
unformed connections invite themselves in
I am open
Religiosity emerges from the crypt –
impoverished, depraved, and hungry –
overwhelmed, I am embarrassed, enraged –
should not have let my guard down.
Tyrannical, my father’s reign; the ensuing understanding of relationship dynamics twisted. Violence and threats peppered with “I love you”, as if one was synonymous with the other. I cowered with the rest, shame a heavy weight.
Oppression dictates
warped sense of love, intimate
nightmare – relearning.
(For Reena’s Exploration challenge #89. Relationships have been the theme of my dreams lately – thus the reversal to childhood.)
Daddy yelled
and Mommy cried
and new dresses appeared.
A pattern
my young heart
vowed to break.
Chose a man,
reticent in nature,
pursued a career.
Then babies came
and I stayed home
and he withheld cash.
Pendulum swings
left to right – money
holds the key to powers.
Patterns, it seems,
twist and morph,
leave me impoverished.
Mother said: “Look after your sister!”
What she meant was: Take these
burdens off my shoulders, I am
no longer able to cope.
Father said: “Do as I say, not as I do!”
What he meant was: I don’t have
the wherewithal to deal with my own
problems, so don’t bring me yours.
Sister said: “Be a good auntie!”
What she meant was: I am too
young to be a mother, and you are so
much more responsible, please take on
the consequences of my poor choices.
So I ran away to build my own life.
Met a man and married, bought a house,
had children and hopes and dreams
for a future that would erase the past.
Husband said: “If you really loved me
you’d try harder to lose weight, be less
effusive in public, control your temper,
and be more supportive of my choices.
What he meant was: I’m going to grind
you so far into the ground and then I’m
going to cheat and cheat and you’ll have
nothing left inside to do anything about it.
And without a word, I left, and
what I meant was: I am a real person
with needs and faults and limitations
and it’s about time I honour me.
