The One I Bought

June 6

THE ONE I BOUGHT

There are fairy tales I never gave credence to.  Multiple bear stories don’t move me.  Cats with footwear have not warranted a second thought.  True love-----now that one I still buy hook, line and sinker.  Work hard and true love will fix the rest; that is what I have always believed.  The evil spell I have walked under during my sad little life will be broken only by the durable and all-fulfilling love of my betrothed.  Each time this plan fell through, the blame was leveled at the wrongness of the match but not the wrongness of the plot.  Anytime I work to be restored to sanity by one person, I have displaced a rightful power and thrown myself to the sea.

Let a whisker width of optimism carry your day.

*

Enclosed Space

In the echo chamber it is the cymbals

which cause the most pain.

The drums resound, deep and loud,

but it is the crashing of brass that drives me wild.

Cotton, wool and sealing wax

cannot put my head at ease.

Resonate walls with their hollow effects

create the feedback loops of hurt.

Like the endless reflection of parallel mirrors

the sounds come back to me with relentless repetition.

Aural illusion might have been the idea,

but chaos is the result.

Leaving the space between these ears

will be, will allow, the band to play on

without the benefit of my torment.

You are reading selections from Sober on the Way to Sane and More Lines From My Life by Sherrie Theriault

http://www.amazon.com/Sober-On-The-Way-Sane/dp/1440417342/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388576888&sr=8-1&keywords=sober+on+the+way+to+sane

http://www.amazon.com/More-Lines-From-My-Life/dp/1448677203/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388576956&sr=8-1&keywords=More+Lines+From+My+Life

Estranged

May 28

Estranged

After long years I have made my own acquaintance, friendship is on a far distant shore.  I know who I am and can recognize myself on the street or in a crowded room.  I have a legitimate sense of wariness of the afore mentioned persona, nothing too nasty, just a discomfort.  She is not someone I would bring home, maybe not even share a meal with but I can stand her, minus intimacy, minus any deep empathy.  I feel an awkwardness in acknowledging her, strange as this might sound, she is no one to be ashamed of, not a truly bad actor and yet the reports say she doesn’t live up to her potential and I have it on personal authority that she actually surpasses it on most days and keeps this a closely held confidence.  And there it is, I know her secrets but I don’t keep her.  This is what makes me strange and her stranger.  

Catch your reflection in the eyes of a friend

*

THE ONE I BOUGHT

There are fairy tales I never gave credence to

Multiple bear stories don’t move me

Cats with footwear have not warranted a second thought.

True love-----------

Now that one I still buy

Hook line and sinker.

Work hard---------

And true love will fix the rest

That is what I have always believed.

The evil spell I have walked under

During my sad little life will be broken

Only by the durable and fulfilling love of my betrothed.

Each time this plan fell through

The blame was left to the wrongness of the match

But not the wrongness of the plot

Anytime I work to be restored to sanity by one person

I have displaced a rightful power

And thrown myself to the sea.

Eggshells and Bethlehem

June 6

Eggshells and Bethlehem

A stable is a place to keep a horse and in fairytales a place to birth a baby, but stable is the story I told myself about you. Solid, a model of strength and here you are a tripod, upright only if the pressure is evenly applied. I blame myself for lopsided need and try to find a way to keep this coupling standing. Stripped down to minor contact I wonder if you actually remember me and then I wonder if I remember myself. This is what is at stake, this is the trophy I lose when I fall for you and you fall down. Where is the girl I worked so hard to create? Broken eggshells litter the nest and I look for the chick I used to be. I fear losing you, I cry at the thought of losing us, I die at the loss of me.

Graft beauty to stability

*

IN THE MEADOW

Being the only tree in the meadow often leaves me feeling lonely

I tell myself of the camaraderie I imagine in the forest

These images are more poetic than real.

I believe in community and support

I think of the woods as a place apart

From the complications of my exposed life.

I shrug off the very real competition and struggle

From sharing every inch of root space

And the search for each square of sunlight.

There is much joy in being an individual

An eco-system of diversity allows me to fully develop

I can spread my branches and my roots.

I can offer shelter to those in need of my reaching and my shadow

Tender flowers and tired birds find me a haven

I have unique abilities in this field

Space can feel lonely

But it is full of possibilities.

Estranged

May 28

Estranged

After long years I have made my own acquaintance, friendship is on a far distant shore. I know who I am and can recognize myself on the street or in a crowded room. I have a legitimate sense of wariness of the afore mentioned persona, nothing too nasty, just a discomfort. She is not someone I would bring home, maybe not even share a meal with but I can stand her, minus intimacy, minus any deep empathy. I feel an awkwardness in acknowledging her, strange as this might sound, she is no one to be ashamed of, not a truly bad actor and yet the reports say she doesn’t live up to her potential and I have it on personal authority that she actually surpasses it on most days and keeps this a closely held confidence. And there it is, I know her secrets but I don’t keep her. This is what makes me strange and her stranger.

Catch your reflection in the eyes of a friend

*

THE ONE I BOUGHT

There are fairy tales I never gave credence to

Multiple bear stories don’t move me

Cats with footwear have not warranted a second thought.

True love-----------

Now that one I still buy

Hook line and sinker.

Work hard---------

And true love will fix the rest

That is what I have always believed.

The evil spell I have walked under

During my sad little life will be broken

Only by the durable and fulfilling love of my betrothed.

Each time this plan fell through

The blame was left to the wrongness of the match

But not the wrongness of the plot

.

Anytime I work to be restored to sanity by one person

I have displaced a rightful power

And thrown myself to the sea.

The One I Bought

June 6

THE ONE I BOUGHT

There are fairy tales I never gave credence to. Multiple bear stories don’t move me. Cats with footwear have not warranted a second thought. True love-----now that one I still buy hook, line and sinker. Work hard and true love will fix the rest; that is what I have always believed. The evil spell I have walked under during my sad little life will be broken only by the durable and all-fulfilling love of my betrothed. Each time this plan fell through, the blame was leveled at the wrongness of the match but not the wrongness of the plot. Anytime I work to be restored to sanity by one person, I have displaced a rightful power and thrown myself to the sea.


Let a whisker width of optimism carry your day.