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Posts Tagged ‘naked’

After the Undressing

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , on April 2, 2022| 6 Comments »




I had thought I was already naked.
I had thought I had shed
the mask, the robe, the dress,
the flimsy garments that tease.
I thought I had nothing left
to remove. Then came
slipping out of my laugh.
Taking off my smile.
Dropping my role, my hope.
Losing what I thought I knew.
I could never have said yes to this.
It is happening anyway.
I am less myself, only more.
There is a shawl of compassion, though—
its threads made of sunrise gold.
This. Whoever does the undressing
wraps me now in this.

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The Naked Heart Goes into Town

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on November 2, 2021| 10 Comments »




The heart walks down the street
with its big brim hat, its sunglasses,
its four chambers stepping up
onto the curb. It hopes it doesn’t
run into anyone it knows.
It’s hard enough to keep pumping,
pumping, one hundred thousand times
a day. That’s all the heart can manage right now.
No conversation. No small talk.
No big talk. The heart has nothing to say—
a heart is made to feel,
and feel it does as it makes its way
to the post office, stops at the crosswalk,
feels it all.
Feels the cool breeze that buffets it.
Feels love for the scent of autumn,
love for the low-glancing light.
And it grieves for the loss
of what once it pumped for.
Grieves for the boy who still
lives in its walls. Grieves for
all who grieve, who weep.
Oh the heart, it feels so exposed
as it stands at the door of the coffee shop,
wonders if it can go in.
The other hearts in the coffee shop
wear so much skin.
The heart sniffs at the dark and bitter scent,
remembers what it was like  
to go inside, sip a latte, talk about weather.
It pounds against itself,
walks on down the road.

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Learning to Listen

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on May 9, 2012| 6 Comments »

Learning to Listen

Like every day
today

we wake up
naked

regardless how
many layers

we wear.
All day

we’re naked,
trying our best

to pretend
that we

are not.
There are those

who hear
right through

the shirts
the hats

the coats,
who hear

the words that
every heart

is beating
under vests,

and v-neck tees—
hold me,

hold me,
hold me,

let me
go.

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