Saturday, October 1, 2011

breaking

edward brian seago the white kitchen


when we wake
will you
hold my hand
and tell me all the stories

will you tell me what
we held of ourselves
inside
each other's thoughts

will you say my name
as if you've known me before
and will you sing every song
you've held in check -
especially -
the songs
that rhyme
with why
and now

and will you hear your own voice
crossing the lines
of your creation
breaking past the vastness
of your heart
and your mind

because then
and only then
can you put time
gently back up on the mantlepiece
and let your eyes
and mouth go quiet
enough to hear the words of your soul
speaking rough and pure

because
none

will tell
the story better

18 comments:

Jinksy said...

put time
gently back up on the mantlepiece
and let your eyes
and mouth go quiet
enough to hear the words of your soul
speaking rough and pure

Sheer genius in words...

Delwyn said...

I read your poem over a few times and have come back to it again Steven.

If only we could go quiet and put our ear down to our soul...

Great lines thank you...

erin said...

oh my. whose poem is this? is this your poem, steven? holy shit, it is something very special. (i paused just now not knowing the words with which to use.)

xo
erin

Reya Mellicker said...

When we wake I'll sing some morning songs while I make you a very strong cup of coffee. OK?

Anonymous said...

"and let your eyes
and mouth go quiet
enough to hear the words of your soul
speaking rough and pure"

I like this very much. It's so hard to be quiet, to stop moving and doing long enough to hear our soul speaking. You have to listen closely but it whispers.

Linda Sue said...

The white kitchen is an awesome painting isn't it! Your header is such a flash - makes the eyes in my heart go wide!
You poem is *sigh* one of the best i have ever read, indeed! Makes me feel a little bit sad knowing that crossing the lines of creation and vastness of hear and mind will not be.Time will not be gentle or gently put...except in your poetry. at least there's that! Thank you for this bit of stinging lump in throat loveliness.

Linda Sue said...

YOUR poem- HEART and mind- sticky keyboard!

Kay said...

Hi Steven....i can't tell you how sad your poem made me feel....how do you do that?...that kind of closeness comes rarely..i felt it once but it is gone...xx

Friko said...

You never disappoint; will your well never run dry?
I sincerely hope not; may your voice be here forever.

steven said...

autumn begins the process of remembering the most powerful moments of my life and especially those that i treasure - or which still hover, lambent and unsure. when i share these moments they carry me with them away from time and context and find a temporary form in words that afford me the luxury of leaving time and context behind. i want you to know that while these moments are already within my experiencing, then again they are also not. because the thermal i am rising on passes through all sorts of atmospheres that could be labelled past, present, and future. i know that i am intended for much and that this place and my work inside it honours that possibility. i know it by your powerful, evocative, and very present comments and so i am deeply grateful to each of you. steven

steven said...

jinksy you're very generous in your estimation but i'm thankful that the words held some significance for you. steven

steven said...

delwyn thankyou. it's so very hard for people to hear beyond the simple distraction of sound - i know. i wish for each person the opportunity to hear and see beyond what is obvious. steven

steven said...

erin yes this is my writing. it arrived as a piece - like a baby. steven

steven said...

lilith - i wonder if perhaps the challenge of hearing the soul of what we are is so difficult as to be almost prohibitive. steven

steven said...

linda sue i searched and searched for an image that echoed in my own experiencing as powerfully as those words which arrived entirely unbidden and unexpctedly. the white kitchen was entirely there for me and yes it is a strong and beautiful painting. some features of life - imagined and real - arrive and depart and we're left with the sweetness of their taste for the rest of our lives and who in their right or whatever mind wouldn't wish to taste that same sweetness over and over? steven

steven said...

kay i figure that having known something that so many people wish for but never experience places you in a rarefied and blessed realm!! steven

steven said...

friko thanks for that wish. i have a feeling that i've got a number of other places to visit before "ever" is done!! steven

steven said...

reya - deal! steven