Walls

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I prefer the window

gardens made of stone

a sleep-filled afternoon

where the whole of a frozen pond

is cupped in my palm.

When I was younger

I skipped stones on the river

lived, lurked

dazed, dazzled

with an honest imagination

and cool peace

Now, my socks are filthy

lovers have belittled intimacy

and the sun is sullen

painted as a shadow.

 

The planet is yawning

over worn with rot

moral inconsistencies

litter the sidewalks

nobody wears

the wind on the backs

anymore

 

Walls are mine

to devour

spit up

then build again.

 

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Copyright © 1989 by Allison Grayhurst

amazon.com/author/allisongrayhurst

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Joshua’s Shoulder was published  in 1989 by The Plowman, written by Allison Grayhurst under the pseudonym of Jocelyn Kain.

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Published in “The Peregrine Muse” April 2018

https://sites.google.com/site/theperegrinemuseii/home/grayhurst

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First published in “The Plowman: A Journal of International Poetry” 1989

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You can listen to this poem by clicking below:

 

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