"I hear the divine"
August 2004
I hear the divine.
His raspy cough.
Emphysema, leukemia, and who knows what else.
I touch the divine.
His wrinkles and stretched skin.
Oily hair.
I see the divine.
The stains on the knees of his trousers.
The big toe poking out his torn sneakers.
The lice infested hair.
I smell the divine.
Piss and wine and rotting teeth.
The perfume of countless dumpsters.
I taste the divine.
The warm saliva that seeps out the glands in my mouth.
I breathe deeply off to the side.
I swallow the lump in my throat.
Not the threat of tears but the threat of vomit.
10 years ago
4 comments:
This is very raw, not in the sense that the writing itself is unrefined but that what you are conveying is very open, but raw seems a more fitting word. I definitely feel that knot in my stomach. It's very well written, the dichotomy between the connotation of "divine" and your imagery is very powerful.
This poem is so fitting this time of year. I sit at the stop lights by the mall trying not to make eye contact with "the least of these." I want to reach out the window and hand them my money, but I'm terrified. What a pitiful thing to fear. See you tomorrow...
Not bad.
Yes, I understand the word raw... and I feel the word divine.
Heart-wrenching.
[katie]
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