Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Moving Through the Inner Rooms




I move through the rooms of my body,
where my past is preserved:
the little room of childhood,
shot through with golden sunshine,
the loft in the treetops of my teen years,
where music and dreams led me forth
into a brighter tomorrow,
the tight, windowless room of marriage,
that I fled upon waking,
the rambling, noisy rooms 
where I raised my children,
full of laughter, and kites,
and lake ripples.




At mid-life, I discovered
the seat of my Knowing,
living in the centre of my being.
Her voice was insistent,
would no longer be denied.
She plucked me from 
my circumscribed existence,
lifting me over the mountains to the sea,
where I lived in a driftwood shelter,
no roof, and no door.




From it, I gazed at the expansiveness
of sea and sky, limitless horizons: joy.
Jonathan Livingston Seagull flew
through my inner rooms. My heart felt
the thump of his wings
with every heartbeat.

I live in smaller rooms, now:
constrained by age and the body
that feels all of its years.
My eyes rarely leave the sky.
They caress the rounded tops
of the hills sheltering the harbour;
I catch my breath at their slopes,
bedecked by clouds.
My body is in love with the sea;
my heart, with remembering.




This vessel that has carried me faithfully,
this  frame  that has contained all of
my hopes and my dreams,
my laughter and tears,
now accommodates
all of the rooms of  Memory.
Tinged with amber light,
the past shines brighter
than the present, now,
as I make this circular passage
back to where my journey began.


for Sumana's prompt at Midweek Motiff at Poets United: Of the Body


19 comments:

  1. Yours is a profile in courage. Indeed it was an amazing journey in this 'vessel'. " My eyes rarely leave the sky." May it always be so, Sherry.

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  2. Love the Jonathan Livingston Seagull reference... was one of my favourite books growing up!! It is in one of the rooms in my head too!!

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  3. Good for you....We should all pat ourselves on the back that we have made it this far:)

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  4. Love the pic of the young Sherry with her kiddiwinks.
    You have ended up back at the sea.A stroke of good fortune. Good for you Sherry.Pats on he back to us all for making it thus far:)

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  5. So beautiful a write!!! I love it!

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  6. What Annell said too.
    Plus: how rich your life has been Sherry, only marred by that tight, windowless room from which you escaped.
    MY present is a picture book of memories, held lovingly to my heart.
    Anna :o]

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  7. Erm - I did not intentionally capitalise the Y in My, sorry, it looks like I am attempting to draw attention to myself.
    Anna :o]

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  8. This is absolutely stunning, Sherry!❤️ I can truly hear your voice in this and loved; "My body is in love with the sea; my heart, with remembering."❤️

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  9. A beautiful journey indeed! I love love love this Sherry!!

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  10. in the center, after the windowless rooms and before the smaller ones, lies "I lived in a driftwood shelter,
    no roof, and no door" which seems significant as a location of gathering all of your parts, a place of learning you must be with your loves. And so that last stanza made me wonder if I will reach a point when the past seems brighter than the present? Long may you have the inner rooms, the outer rooms and the vast sea and sky as well.

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  11. Yes, am hoping so, too, lol. I think what I am finding is that, the older one gets, the more the past shines with a golden patina.............irretrievable days, filled with a certain shine that can never be regained - or re-done a better way. We did not know, while we were living them, that those were precious days and years.

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  12. Our lives are buffeted with experience, learning, laughter and tears, but in the end let's hope we can all be thankful for what we did as it was a great ride. This is a most beautiful and touching poem Sherry.

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  13. This is absolutely brilliant and overflowing with treasures... you have weaved quite a journey with this one.

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  14. I love how you have taken us through the different menories of your life which shows how rich with experience it has been. Beautifully expressed

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  15. A superb journey through time a joy to read xo

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  16. Oh, my! You live in veritable mansion---so many rooms!

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  17. I love the image of 'moving through the rooms of my body' and
    'My body is in love with the sea;
    my heart, with remembering.'

    Such a beautiful journey with eyes on the sky.

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  18. That was really beautiful, Sherry!

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