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Poems
Broken Glass And Poppies When my window broke so suddenly under your pressure I wondered if it was an omen that something else had happened, unexpectedly. The poppies are back though they never left I have seen them all year here and there. I always thought, secretly and foolishly, that as long as the poppies bloomed our love would not die. Perhaps there is new growth For us in the new season. Or perhaps I was wrong. We are so sure of the others' guilt, crossing out their answers, so self-assured in our own correctness. This is easier than walking in their footsteps for a while. A Manner Of Traveling I awoke and found myself walking along a muddy road, dim with filtered light and an uncertain sun. My feet were cut and bleeding. I glanced back at my tracks and recognized nothing, and saw small patches of my blood in the dark damp depressions of my footsteps. Yes, anger and love can co-exist. This I know for I am both. I am in an unfamiliar place. The leaves and branches are wet with recent rain and I cannot tell if I have been crying or just walking with my face turned up to the sky. I find my feet marching forward, steadily, and I am astounded at the effort they are making without my will. Yes, decisions and no will can co-exist. This I know for I am both. I consider turning back but I do not remember coming here. There is nothing to return to. I am alone, though I see the eroded, water-filled spoor of other walkers. I am afraid, for I cannot see ahead and do not know the future that my mind is striving to see. Yes, certainty and the unknown can co-exist. This I know for I am both. There are deep scratches on my exposed arms; I do not recall crashing blindly through wilderness, but clearly, I have done so. I am thirsty and tired but there is no place to rest. I feel this power pulling me forward. I am trying to return to the birthplace I have never seen, as birds and fish do. I will not recognize it with my eyes but with my belly. I want to feel sorry for myself, to have someone comfort me in my distress, but I am alone, with only my mind and body for company, and the insects buzzing unseen above my head, oblivious to my aching feet and confused mind. Yes, pain and love can co-exist. This I know for I am both. There is the rich scent of vegetation around me, fecund, growing, matted, decaying, life and death in the same place and time. I walk on and the smell lies heavily over the damp vines and reaching trees above me. copyright 2025 by Charles Hugh Smith, all rights reserved in all media globally. 
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Copyright 2025 Charles Hugh Smith all rights reserved in all media. No reproduction in any media in any format (text, audio, video/film, web) without written permission of the author. |
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