10 January 2018

Poem About Being in My Body

File:Heart-1.jpg

Heart-1.jpg by Plismo



When I decided I’d written enough about
my body, I already had old waffle skin,
a loosely wrapped and scarred birthday suit I loved
but rarely showed—
even swimming fully clothed.

Jaws in action are my favorite body parts;
and mine I still jut out, determined as a rock
someone can stand upon. Yours, I love to watch talk
and chew unlocked,
so confident, unblocked.

Hands are my second favorite for expression.
Yours dance as you speak, shaping ideas in the air,
while I hide my chewed, bleeding and clenched fingers,
fists buried deep
in pockets of secrets I keep.

I’m oddly shy about the best, what I replay
from days of hands and jaws setting our souls on fire
inside our skin through moist caress, our love leading
to unity
that still provides immunity.

It’s this power that bids me sit today and write,
bent small and wrinkled at my keyboard window seat:
We carry knowledge, body-borne, that our lifespan
is merely part
of the great purpose of the heart.


For Sumana's prompt

Poets United Midweek Motif ~ Poetry about the Body



My blog poems are rough drafts. 

Please respect my copyright. 

© 2018 Susan L. Chast




13 comments:

  1. "...hands and jaws setting our souls on fire" They Do That Surely specially when we are aware of 'the great purpose of the heart. 'Jaws in action' reminds me of Oprah Winfrey's Globes speech. What a wonderful poem Susan!

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  2. So many wonderful lines! I love "fists buried deep in pockets of secrets I keep" so much. Also "that our lifespan is merely part of the great purpose of the heart." Wow! I can see you sitting by your window, tapping on the keys to bring us these marvelous poems. Tap on!

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  3. Amazing flow of thoughts from waffle skin to body borne knowledge... beautiful.

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  4. Jaws, ears and eyes are my favourite body parts for I love to know and speak of my world - though sometimes it presents as a disappointment.
    Your closing line is perfect, tis the truth of why and who we are.
    Anna :o]

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  5. Woww!!💞 This is incredibly potent. I could feel the emotions in each line as I read how you described your journey in this world. Especially love; "We carry knowledge, body-borne, that our lifespan is merely part of the great purpose of the heart." Beautifully penned.💞

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  6. Certainly one of my favorites of your's!!! "The purpose of the heart!" And to think so often we are made to feel ashamed of this gift.

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  7. If only more of us would respect and love our bodies for what they are and what they can do. What an inspiring poem this is Susan.

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  8. This is tightly written and I love it. The last two stanzas are my favorite.

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  9. What a lovely poem! Each line just flowed into the next and there were some gems in there. May we all realise and fulfill 'the purpose of our hearts'

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  10. Wrinkled and bent in body matters not if the mind glows.

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  11. Wonderfully done concise thoughts. I love the stanza structures that add to the thoughts.

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  12. There is not one single line of this poem that does not speak to me. What a wonder-filled celebration of the human body!

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