a practice of nearness

choreographies of skin and gravity

Love this like weather
that unmasks a gentle sky.

Do not name this trembling.
or hush what aches to bends her spine.

A need for collapse
can be a call to kneeling
in disguise.

What sways this cathedral of air
ringing bells at impossible altitude,
clouding windows with myths
of ascent, her scent lingers, low––

an invitation: after such dizzy heights,
what longing there is to kiss the earth,
to press mouth against cooled ash,
admit devotion.

What impossibility, to confess
this softness —this animal
obedience to soil, its churn.
How bones remember the
murmurs of earth.

Here, too, see how body mistakes
obliteration for grace, a silence
that bows but never
calls it prayer.

Author: Stacey C. Johnson

I keep watch and listen, mostly in dark places.

6 thoughts on “a practice of nearness”

  1. R. Jay Hoffman – R. Jay Hoffman writes experimental poetry & fiction exploring philosophical territories—from Object-Oriented Ontology to Existentialism. Near Zero Blog.
    R. Jay Hoffman says:

    I like this imagery.

  2. bjaybrooks – I am a retired from Southern Illinois University after thirty two years of service. I enjoy traveling and writing and I have been able to do more of both over the past two years.
    bjaybrooks says:

    You’re a writer that touches hearts.

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