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By This Light

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By the light,

you carried me.

By the dark, you found my hand,

and together we stood, holding hands,

barely breathing, never resting, just holding

like David held his slingshot and the slingshot

held its aim – synchronized to destiny’s rhythm –

you and I and the drumbeat lingering after the sacrifice,

and the coming of age that never came,

and the fire finding

safe haven on our backs – a deep dive in the shallow end,

a kiss that never makes it, but somehow is known.

Swim, you told me. Breaststroke

through the dark karma. Swim

before the fast freeze gets us, before we lose

our grip on each other’s eyes. Everyday,

your smile saves me. Nothing changes, not

the chemical spill reservoir we counted on

to nourish our crops,

not the crowded bandwagon that takes any route

to bypass our cries for mercy.

But every day we still have each other.

Everyday we claim our peace –

still no footing in the world, but still so greatly blessed

in our love’s long-held victory.

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Copyright © 2010 by Allison Grayhurst

amazon.com/author/allisongrayhurst

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First published in “Both Sides Now”

 

http://bothsidesnow.freeservers.com/backissues.htm

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You can listen to the poem by clicking below:

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“Allison Grayhurst intertwines a potent spirituality throughout her work so that each poem is not simply a statement or observation, but a revelation that demands the reader’s personal involvement. Grayhurst’s poetic genius is profound and evident. Her voice is uniquely authentic, undeniable in its dignified vulnerability as it is in its significance,” Kyp Harness, singer/songwriter, author.

“Allison Grayhurst’s poems are like cathedrals witnessing and articulating in unflinching graphic detail the gritty angst and grief of life, while taking it to rare clarity, calm and comfort. Grayhurst’s work is haunting, majestic and cleansing, often leaving one breathless in the wake of its intelligence, hope, faith and love amidst the muck of life. Many of Allison Grayhurst’s poems are simply masterpieces. Grayhurst’s poetry is a lighthouse of intelligent honour… indeed, intelligence rips through her work like white water,” Taylor Jane Green, Registered Spiritual Psychotherapist and author.

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