It’s A Country Longing
no matter where I am &
no matter how many words
I spend & erase–this a bluegrass
song I write new, each year:
oak tree & riverbank–
a road run through it–
biscuit dust & cigarette smoke,
how it chained around the jamjar light
in the yellowing kitchen. The high lonesome
fits my mouth like a call across the field home.
I can hear it in some songs–this piercing
place, its name my shaded church.
I laugh loud, pull hair, cry out, & miss time.
How I am firm too that I am
never going back. I can’t, not
in the same way.
24 thoughts on "It’s A Country Longing"
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This is lovely, Shaun. Some great lines and all that ache in each one. “The high lonesome fits my mouth…” and “its name my shaded church” !!! The ending is blunt and cuts just right.
Thank you, Jasmine! It does ache sometimes that we can’t turn back that clock a little, but then there’s art thankfully
“how it chained around the jamjar light” is another beauty. Great poem, Shaun.
echo… love how ‘chained’ and ‘jamjar’ hang together. so melodious.
Thank you, Dustin!!
Thanks, Bill. I appreciate you!
outstanding
Thank you, Tania! 💛
Haunting! Love the interplay of past present and future.
Thanks, Nancy. We’re kinda living in them (at least I feel like I am!) all the time these days 😅
The ache in here breathes strong in each line! I keep thinking this one is your best, and then you write another even better! In the zone, Shaun!
I really appreciate your kindness for saying that. It’s definitely the LexPoMo effect–sharing this space with y’all and the community has been a balm for me.
You are firing on all cylinders, Shaun. This is a fantastic poem, ready for print.
Wow, thank you, Kevin. I appreciate that!
Great poem!
Thank you, Linda!
I can hear it in some songs–this piercing
place, its name my shaded church.
I laugh loud, pull hair, cry out, & miss time
Shaun, there was love, delight, longing and profound loneliness in these lines. It’s brilliant.
Thanks so much, Manny. I try and balance all of these things but I’m glad the love came out too.
The cadence in the line ‘ I laugh loud, pull hair, cry out, & miss time.’ Perfectly complements the emotion of the line
Thank you so much!
The high lonesome
I hear it Shawn
The way you write
even city folks can hear
Thanks, Jim. I’m almost practically citified in my way too now but I can’t ever give up the rest of it either!
Such poignancy. Really lovely.
Thank you, Taunja! 💛