Ex – Voto
For A. S., because you always taught
even though it was never your job
You were the bigger guy
our entire childhood
and pre-pubescence.
What more can a poet say
to describe how I saw you
than to mention
a dream I once had,
where my Prince Adam
changed to your He-Man;
you were always there
fighting my fights, protecting
my diminutive form.
I always had the louder mouth—
the louder voice—but now,
to read your words,
to hear your voice—
still the bigger man, still
dwarfing me with your power—
but cracking, taken to tears
because of everything
we see, we hear, happening
and not about just now—
about what you’ve always lived—
you’re still healing
my fragility. You’re still
teaching me what it means
to be a man. You’re still
helping me recover
from this sickness.
9 thoughts on "Ex – Voto"
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
From the dedication on down, I really appreciate this poem.
It feels sparse, but still forthright and conversational, which seems to me a bit different now from poems I have read of yours in the past. That is to say, your work is always, always full, but somehow this piece is full in a new way.
What can you tell me, please, about the title?
It was the word of the day on dictionary.com and felt too on for what I was feeling. Defined there, it said “A painting or other object left as an offering in fulfillment of a vow or in gratitude, as for recovery from an injury or sickness.
And thank you, T.
This:
“I always had the louder mouth—
the louder voice—but now,
to read your words,
to hear your voice—
still the bigger man, still
dwarfing me with your power—”
It’s raw and powerful. Thank you for sharing it.
Thank you, H.A.
Yesterday, this was all I could do. Thank an old friend for teaching.
Today, I let the day disappear without even posting (collapsing for six hours into sleep, midafternoon).
It’s hard to highlight any form of beauty when everywhere you look is ugliness. Even your own anger, hurt, nothing next to the warranted anger and hurt all around, feels ugly.
I know there are those who do not see this as a time to write of beauty—but personally, I need it more now than ever.
– J
I really love “you’re still healing my fragility.”
I know that has a societal connotation right now, which is awesome, and it works on the personal level as well. Very cool word choice.
Thank you, Auie.
Joseph!
Synchronistically, I think your answer about the title reminds me that a mutual friend of ours is teaching a class on such objects for the World Divination Association! <3
Tabitha,
Is she?? Need to go back and review the course I took with her.