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No Breath of My Own (A Poem)
by Alison McKenzieNo breath of my own,
I do not stand alone
On this blank canvas.
I must be painted,
Brought to life
In simpatico assemblies -
Keystrokes progressed
From thought to ink.
These are my sisters,
My brothers.
Over here, adversaries.
And yet again, children.
No breath of my own,
I live by definition,
Used and used again,
Reincarnated on the tips of tongues
Set to font and page.
Who am I without You,
Yes, You, oh Reader Divine,
A god among the likes of these,
That I should live a celibate existence,
Coupling with none,
Until You create me -
These meager scratches,
All 1’s and 0’s
Until I form on the screen
For you to taste.
I have known
The alphabetization of lonely,
Segregated by pages and pages
From those souls
Mated to mine -
No “Ms” allowed on this page.
All “Zs” to the back of the book, please.
No breath of my own,
Until You read us, here,
In this verse;
On Your lips we are revealed,
Symphonies of decadent projection
Into space and time;
And, ohhh, lodged inside
The memories of a precious few.
Sublime in repose,
I live anew
With every sentence, every verse,
Every syllable drenched in voice –
This is where
I find my pace and purpose
Among the throngs of wit,
Of loss, of joy,
Of adventure, of memoirs,
And finally, in death I lay
Sleeping, unread hero,
Until a Reader happens by again.
No breath of my own,
I bow in gratitude
Here, in the formation of these
Words written for You,
And only for You,
My Reader Divine.
10/21/2011 Author's Note: Thanks to some divine inspiration by Philip F De Pinto, who made me wonder if a poem might not really exist or have meaning until it is read. So then I thought, what if words were like the characters in a novel, who could not really live until the story is brought to life in the imagination of its readers. What if words, once they are put together in a meaningful way, and then considered by the reader, become sentient?
Posted on 10/21/2011
Copyright © 2024 Alison McKenzie
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by Lori Blair on 10/21/11 at 08:33 PM "until a reader happens by again", you shall not wait forever more my dear...beautiful write! thank you for that!! |
| Posted by Gabriel Ricard on 10/21/11 at 08:51 PM Thanks to him then, and thanks to you for this. |
| Posted by Charlie Morgan on 10/21/11 at 09:05 PM ...weller than well said. only light in approach, landings was/is phenomenal. |
| Posted by Shonda Creemer on 10/22/11 at 02:34 AM Divine indeed! Brilliant...I had to read it twice. |
| Posted by Philip F De Pinto on 10/22/11 at 12:06 PM I cannot possibly imagine how I inspired this gem, but I am honored, Alison, to have you say that I had a hand in its creation. I am glad that words do not go for naught, that they sometimes inspire such beauty as you obviously have flowing in abundance inside of you, waiting only the eyes and ears and the curiosity of the reader to ignite it outwardly that it might benefit us all. Thus lit this poem is a boon unto our souls. Again, Alison, thank you kindly for the plug. Ultimately, poets are powder kegs, biding their poetic time, waiting ignition. |
| Posted by Glenn Currier on 10/22/11 at 05:00 PM You help me to understand in a new way the new life given to a poem after it is read and then reincarnated as it is read aloud and then heard by another - multiplied even more when heard by many others. Thanks for helping me see this new (for me) dimension of writing and sharing poetry. This is wonderful. |
| Posted by Mary Frances Spencer on 10/23/11 at 06:22 AM that's the whole point...to be a real poem, it needs to be read! that's why we keep on writing!!!! MFS namaste |
| Posted by Elizabeth Jill on 10/25/11 at 05:13 PM Divine inspiration indeed |
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