in keeping with a theme….
Kissing
They are kissing, on a park bench,
on the edge of an old bed, in a doorway
or on the floor of a church. Kissing
as the streets fill with balloons
or soldiers, locusts or confetti, water
or fire or dust. Kissing down through
the centuries under sun or stars, a dead tree,
an umbrella, amid derelicts. Kissing
as Christ carries his cross, as Gandhi
sings his speeches, as a bullet
careens through the air toward a child’s
good heart. They are kissing,
long, deep, spacious kisses, exploring
the silence of the tongue, the mute
rungs of the upper palate, hungry
for the living flesh. They are still
kissing when the cars crash and the bombs
drop, when the babies are born crying
into the white air, when Mozart bends
to his bowl of soup and Stalin
bends to his garden. They are kissing
to begin the world again. Nothing
can stop them. They kiss until their lips
swell, their thick tongues quickening
to the budded touch, licking up
the sweet juices. I want to believe
they are kissing to save the world,
but they’re not. All they know
is this press and need, these two-legged
beasts, their faces like roses crushed
together and opening, they are covering
their teeth, they are doing what they have to do
to survive the worst, they are sealing
the hard words in, they are dying
for our sins. In a broken world they are
practicing this simple and singular act
to perfection. They are holding
onto each other. They are kissing.
Dorianne Laux
from What We Carry
For more information about the Blogger (Silent) Poetry Reading, please click here. Please feel free to post a poem today that touches you in some way – be it your own, or someone else’s. Have a great weekend!
Very powerful stuff…I liked it. And it makes me wanna grab my husband!!
Maybe I’m naive but I do believe kissing is an act of peace. This is gorgeous, thank you!
Thanks! I’ve shared a Hart Crane poem, if you’re interested.
Hard to start the day with this when Mr. Frick isn’t with me. Guess I’ll just have to daydream.
That’s one way to make you stop breathing.
How lovely to find a poem today. Thank you!
great poem. i cannot wait until tonight to kiss the one i love. thank you cara.
Lovely, thanks for sharing it…
Wonderful poem you chose! Thank you. And thanks for making us aware of the “poetry reading.” I’d better go post a poem now.
(Sob)
LOVE this poem! Thanks for sharing it. And thanks for letting us know about the Poetry Reading. Mine’s up.
Fantastic. Thank you for sharing.
It’s beautiful. I posted a poem today; thanks for alerting me to the event.
You know, every time I think I can’t love you more, Cara, you come up with something that makes me love you more. Dorianne Laux. Dude. YEAH.
Thank you for reminding me how much I love her work.
What a wonderful poem……….I linked to you, and posted one, too!
That’s a great poem and this is an awesome idea! I posted mine!
thanks! i agree, kissing is really the best. i blogged a poem, too; one of my favorites.
Thanks for sharing and for reminding me about this… I just posted mine!
Thanks for the reminder and the beautiful poem! I’ve got one up over at my place, too.
Thank you! I think I’m often afraid to experience intensity and then deal with my reactions to it. Poetry (especially poems like Kissing remind me to let myself just go ahead and feel it. Thank you again! I think I’ll go post a poem…
That is a beautiful, beautiful poem.
Oooooo. Bewteen this poem and those kissing ads from the previous post, I’ve gotta go do some kissing this weekend (and after JulieFrick’s poem, I’m gonna do it in a red dress!) Thanks for sharing this with us–
lovely. thank you.
Beautiful poem, Cara. I just made sure to go kiss my kissable someone.
thank you. so much.
This is a beautiful poem, I just love it! Also, thank you again I just received my STR today when I got home from work! The Love-in-Idleness colorway is gorgeous!
What an amazing poem. Thanks for reminding me about this great idea. I put one of my own favorite poems on my little blog.
Hi Cara! Your sweater is looking really great. Where did you get this pattern? I absolutely love the color! I must make me one! Thanks so much for sharing your talent. Please continue to motivate and inspire us.
Rosalia
Awwww – All this poetry is making me blush. I like this one. Thanks for sharing.
I love the silent poetry reading. Thanks for this one, it’s lovely.
Congratulations! You’re on get stitchy!
Thanks so much for submitting your blog.