About the body

On By Shayleene MacReynoldsIn poetry

Even though I won’t ever see them again, I still carry them.
Inside and outside
On the lining of my heart
And the edges of my brain
Beneath my fingernails
Or hanging from an eyelash.
They saturate my writing and my words
Sloping from an s, or cradled in a y.
Sometimes, they are even in a glass of whiskey glass of wine.

But this is about the body.

If you were to unwind me out across the earth,
Spread out this fleshboat of a body crack open the ribs and peer beneath the surface—
They would be there too.
Resting on an iliac
Sleeping in a clavicle
Wrapped around the vertebrae
They trickle through the veins.
A small room, and the feel of them inside of it
The light and how it pours in through the window
A book of poetry upon the nightstand
A guitar sitting in the corner
How their bodies spill out on the surface of a mattress
Sleeping
A leg an arm a hand beneath the pillow.

But this is about the body.

How the shadows of their sadness pool like sweat upon a palm
The hair and how it splinters at its edges
Unbrushed
The teeth and how they melt in nightmares
The skin and how it dries and how it peels.

This is about the body
And how it carries grief.

26 thoughts on “About the body”

    1. It’s funny because there is so much “past tense” in here. A lot of it is remembrance–but of course, it is never read that way. And honestly, it isn’t felt that way either. I think there is a lot of bravery in vulnerability, and I think it is important for us to welcome that. So I appreciate your words and your welcome here. People like you contribute to the healing of the whole, and I am grateful you are here ❤

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      1. Oh, I understand you so good, because we each go through shades of grief, past, present. Yes Bravery in vulnerability, is healing in itself for another. That’s comfort, that’s thr absolute circle of life I guess. And it is a blessing when hearts are touched this way, I cant thankyou enough. Stay blest beautiful one, your eyes see some things we dont on a regular day emptied of such value to life. Looking forward to more of your writing. I mean that.

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  13. Reblogged this on I Write Her and commented:
    An excellent piece delving deep into what heart-felt emotions can do to us. I was pulled into her descriptions, fascinated by how well it described where grief can lay and feel. Just wonderful!

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