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What Keeps Me

by Alison McKenzie

I have always been willing
To settle for a destiny
Without you in it.

Not happy,
But willing.

A different mate,
Waves that do not hit your shore,
Knowing, always knowing
That there is more between us
Than time and distance,
And other commitments.

I understand your season -
Fear freezes you,
Regret, perhaps, or obligation -
Bound by
Many restraints,
I respect your entanglements.

I am stuck
In Summer's extension,
Bohemian soul
Ready to move on at
Wind's whisper that it's time to go,
Knowing, always knowing,
That if we are meant
To encounter one another,
We will.

History isn't always readily available,
Tempting me to create an oasis
When you are parched,
But I know the heat must reach you,
Forcing the birth
Of your diamond hands.

Though I often remember
Your taste upon my lips,
I cherish these snippets
Wrapped in sacred,
Allow them to hold the space
Where a future eventually unfolds.

Understand me.
I do not languish.

I wear a shawl woven
In gentle hues of patience,
Your name woven into
Every fiber.
It is what keeps me.

12/14/2014

Posted on 12/14/2014
Copyright © 2024 Alison McKenzie

Member Comments on this Poem
Posted by Chris Sorrenti on 12/16/14 at 07:17 PM

Nice one Ali.

Posted by Ken Harnisch on 12/17/14 at 07:10 PM

That shawl is a fine one indeed...and he is lucky to have had one so patient as you.

Posted by Kristina Woodhill on 12/20/14 at 04:49 PM

So many delicious lines in this one, Ali!

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