I have two sharks inside me
swimming in tandem and holding my heart
between them like a little family
walking in the dark.
I send them gulps of air from outside
as if I were some sort of oxygenated charity
with a face and feet, operating in the world
on their behalf like a proxy or prosthetic.
Oh fishies, confined and angry in the bowl of my ribs,
here come those old blues again.
Why does life go on so long, demand so much,
slowly dribbling out the cracked glass of years?
I have had ideas all along, fine ideas
to open a ministry in a dumpster,
a ballroom in an attic, a cemetery
on a space station with the whole Earth for Ouija board.
I'm scared, fishies. Will the moon call you
and will you answer her tidal madrigal?
Will she require three voices, you and my heart?
Will you rise in glory, leaving me hollow, in salt and sorrow?
_________________
for Word Garden Word List--How To Sell a Haunted House
really really really love this one. my fishies have the blues too.from G
ReplyDeleteWhat vivid and visceral imagery - the idea of having sharks inside is a marvel - Jae
ReplyDeleteA stark and pungent narrative poem that is perversely filled with a great and delicate beauty of language and intensity of emotion. I can't imagine ever mistaking that you are the author of this gem.. It has all your trademark complexity and intelligent quirks, surprising and unforgettable metaphors, and that lingering saudade you give to your work so effectively and seemingly effortlessly. I especially love the oxygenated charity, the bowl of ribs, and the heartwringing end. Just amazing writing, Shay.
ReplyDeleteThe lines "holding my heart between them like a little family walking in the dark" brought me to a stop for some time before I could continue. Such amazing lines. The blues, the "cracked glass of years," and "in salt and sorrow"....wow! As Hedge says, you have a voice all your own and I could pick your work out of a hundred others. This one is so beautiful, I ache.
ReplyDeleteOh I love this! That opening stanza is just so beautiful - the transition from a scary idea of sharks and a heart to a little family walking int he dark. And the vulnerability as it goes on. (Jo)
ReplyDeletetwo sharks holding your heart ... and you gulping air for them as if they are your master-- i love the imagery of this one, Shay! have read it at least 4x, have imagined a happier ending ... makes me want to help. throwing a life preserver ...
ReplyDeleteThis was, for me a 'touching' poem ... wonderful ideas, especially setting up a ministry in a dumpster, the fear you admit to! A great poem, Shay.
ReplyDeleteThis is so moving and relatable, Shay. I especially like your third stanza and final line of the poem. Those sharks inside us can be so hungry, even violently so.
ReplyDeleteI love all the images here, Shay, but especially "the whole Earth for Ouija board." ! Such a surprising image and somehow true?! I also particularly enjoyed the second stanza.
ReplyDeletePlus, I like sharks. They're sensitive and misunderstood. So I relate! 😂
Amazing line after line after line. Would have to quote all of it. The heart - what is wild and fierce swimming in the blood, but somehow on life support and just keeping on by keeping on. Then this: “Will the moon call you / and will you answer her tidal madrigal?” We are released, swimming in the open ocean again, diving deep. Our abandon two sharks: One of joy, one of loss.
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