Rodents and Wings

Posted on November 20, 2020 by Allison Grayhurst

Rodents and Wings

Days of holding up the second wall,

sustaining with syringe feedings and lifting

the broken Venetian blinds.

Days of extremes, straining to stay afloat

in a flood of despair and then given a

miracle season of joy until misfortune overtook again.

You told me to walk, and I did. You told me

in order to heal the wound, I must first see the wound.

You told to keep the water moving,

make waves with my hands and never stop

stroking the surface.

I loved without complaint- washed tiny toes in the sink,

kissed a forehead, made medicine in the kitchen.

My efforts worked, for a while

until they stopped working and death had its claim.

At the exact moment of death as I watched a body

struggle to sustain breath then stop struggling,

you gave me sight to see a spirit rising,

speaking of thanks and love and vows,

showed me the ropes of attachment, strings of light

that need release before a soul can give way to illumination,

dissolve intact, no vigor or sorrow, but merging with the whole,

into the light that is blackness, that is not void

but the absorption of all colour, holy.

You showed me and still I grew angry and embittered,

at a loss for comfort, destroyed of trust.

Two days I lingered enveloped in this terrible flame,

weeping, separated from the dance. On the third day,

you came again, pointing out

a passage of perfect meaning, allowing the sun

to glow and others to be stronger than me.

Crystal patterns converging. A crack muted,

a rift mended and filled, memories

and the harshness of a permanent end.

Two islands to surrender to,

two secrets painted on the beach,

on the backyard shed, in the inside,

giving in fully to emptiness overtaking,

as the calm begins to carve out a niche

where it can revive, return pure, all parts

tethered faithfully to the wind.

amazon.com/author/allisongrayhurst

Published in “Along the Way: A Contemporary Poetry Anthology” December 2018

https://www.unconventionalbeing.com/poetry-anthology

First published in “On Possibility: Poems and Poetry” January 2018

http://onpossibilitypoems.blogspot.ca/2018/01/two-poems-allison-grayhurst.html

You can listen to the poem by clicking below:

Because of course

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Allison Grayhurst

Because of course

you will go with summer

never knowing a remedy.

You will go beyond where you go

around the ninth and final life, ducking

in dark boxes to fade finally alone,

away from instinct and nurturing.

You will go into the natural earth,

and from there, my vision staggers and

cannot name, but caught

on the wind, in sensual shades

of forgiveness mighty & forever,

you will know a place unhindered by death.

You will hear the secret

your pale eyes

have always harboured.

amazon.com/author/allisongrayhurst

First published in the “Wascana Review”, 1994

Published in “Creative Talents Unleashed” August 2016

https://creativetalentsunleashed.com/2016/08/12/because-of-course-author-allison-grayhurst/

You can listen to the poem by clicking below:

“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 ‘Journey of the Awakening’:

“Journey of the Awakening is the first book of poetry that I have read of Allison Grayhurst. While reading it began to sound familiar, the comment to myself was “She is as good as Sylvia Plath”. When I finished the book I read comments from others who referred to her as “In the style of Sylvia Plath”; Ms Plath, one of my favorite poets had no match until Ms Grayhurst’s work. Congratulations to her on her achievements, I am already a ‘fan’, the love of her work will continue to grow,” Ann Johnson-Murphree, poet and author.

“Grayhurst is a great Canadian poet. All of Allison Grayhurst’s poetry is original, sometimes startling, and more often than not, powerful. Anyone who loves modern poetry that does not follow the common path will find Grayhurst complex, insightful, and as good a poet as anyone writing in the world today. This, and other Grayhurst poetry volumes are highly, highly recommended,” Tom Davis, poet, novelist and educator.