.
Footsteps Passing
.
I have looked in the mirror
and found everything ruled
by old age
nature
clouds and labour
Do not say, this city is my hope
We all have tasted delusions
absorbed by the sound of footsteps
coming closer, passing
Too much is lacking.
Fame
is my hand
pressed in wet pavement
The future is desire
going to bed overtired
overdrunk with wishes and blindness
Do not tell me the world is gentle
or to kill a mosquito
is a matter of self-defence
Believe you?
What can it matter?
My best friends
I perish beside
Pockets are picked
Sensitivity feeds addiction
I have learned
the stars are wise
by reason of their incredible glow
And that dying
is a great deal less important
than the smallest of favours
done with a smile.
.
.
Copyright © 1989 by Allison Grayhurst
.
Joshua’s Shoulder was published in 1989 by The Plowman, written by Allison Grayhurst under the pseudonym of Jocelyn Kain.
amazon.com/author/allisongrayhurst
.
First published in “The Plowman: A Journal of International Poetry” 1989
.
You can listen to this poem by clicking below:
.
“Rich images and complex, shifting metaphors drive Allison Grayhurst’s poems. She focuses on sexual love and interior landscapes, widening to include the heart, eternity and all.” – Next Exit
“Grayhurst’s rapturous outpouring of imagery makes her poems easily enjoyable … Like a sear the poet seeks to fathom sensual and spiritual experience through the images of a dream.” Canadian Literature
“Allison Grayhurst is a poet whose work is characterized by startling imagery and uncompromising emotion, whose pieces have appeared in prestigious magazines. Lights, darks, colors, and passions intertwine throughout the pages of her work,” – Louise E. Allin, Literature and Language
.
.
