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Hands Open

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I will not glide down this street,

continuing to catch every sharp corner,

blending in with the slush and snow drifts,

no better than the last of autumn’s fallen leaves.

I will not be pulled into obsession,

sucked down into the footprint of expectation,

waiting on potential that may never be.

I will not leave my house to voyage

on the substance of an idealist dream

that gathers no ground, but offers only the pain

of shattered sunlight, is only a seed too soggy to sprout,

is shape without nerve and muscle,

smokes but can never burn.

I gather the gifts of unexpected visits

and long-held long-proven love. I need only

to breathe to know I am blessed, freed of this false-war,

freed to be at ease in this uncertainty – myself, strong enough

to release my pet from its cage

and equally accept the fear, the peace

as it goes.

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Copyright © 2010 by Allison Grayhurst

amazon.com/author/allisongrayhurst

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First published in “SilverSpine Poetry Forum” November 2015

http://silverspinelit.blogspot.ca/2015/11/hands-open-poem-by-allison-grayhurst.html

 

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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