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The Permanent Matter

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It does not matter –

lessons learned, reasons

unraveled and understood.

It doesn’t matter –

ceremonies of release, truth

that holds the key to the golden “moving on.”

It doesn’t matter when the heart

is stuck in the afterflow of dead dreams and

the fire at the window

(that compressed all longing into one single flame),

is still the fire at the window,

burning galleries of scorch marks

across new and sacred hopes.

It doesn’t matter – making up one’s mind to be free,

building a pond that holds the perfect fish (the zen fish) –

tranquility and gratitude mixed in easeful equilibrium –

watching the movement but still discordant,

missing something that refuses decay or fruition,

missing the deep breath of peace, the faith

that all is as it should be,

and to never know how long, how long

it will take before anything ever again

matters.

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Copyright © 2010 by Allison Grayhurst

amazon.com/author/allisongrayhurst

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First published in “The Furious Gazelle” June 2015

  

http://thefuriousgazelle.com/2015/06/16/allison-grayhurst/

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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.

Reviews of ‘Pushing Through the Jelly Fire’:

“This, (Pushing Through the Jelly Fire) is my second favorite book of poetry by Allison Grayhurst. I have it in paperback. I read a lot of poetry across a lot of blogs but Grayhurst’s work stands above the crowd and is of tremendous quality. I highly recommend this and The River is Blind. Her quality of writing is of a high standard and never ceases to lift my spirits as I turn pages in paperback or kindle,” Bruce Ruston, poet, photographer, founding editor of The Poetry Jar.

“Another Grayhurst masterpiece, Allison’s work has inspired me to continue creating and reading poetry,” Ann Johnson-Murphree, poet.

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