Lost and Found
Knee high, defunct and demoralized
Struggling to rise above gravity’s grip
thick ropes attached to anchors
tied to my ankles, I stalled as a hot air balloon with a leak
trapped in the smog, gasping for oxygen
I reached for the hatchet and started chopping
right arm muscles screaming with repetitive motion
lungs, exhausted accordians, labored to continue
every fiber of my being willing itself to give up
still I chopped
nautical sisal six inches thick, hard as iron
sproing! Rope’s strands thinned, sweat equity interest
ankles aching, howling for relief, release
How could I have forgotten the whetstone?
Respite sharpening. It could split atoms now
Chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop
Anchor liberated and returned to earth
as one leg liberated itself from it
Ignoring convention, the left arm commenced
Chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop
The other leg free!
Propelled, anchor-free,
Shot into the clouds
Then choking – no oxygen here either.
What do I do now?
Fall, puppet-like, into gravity’s arms.
A cushiony queen-sized bed hand kept me from splat
I thought my thanks and read her palm
She rubbed my head with her index finger
Then rolled me out into a field of wildflowers and bees
Birds and butterflies rode air currents overhead
Flat on my back clouds flowed past in sky stream
Anchors gone but grounded again,
I clenched a clump in my hand and smelled it
Pungent, fertile, it makes flowers grow that
feed the bees. I hummed a little tune
and thanked the helping hand for giving me
a living way along the path, fresh as a daisy.
The air here is just fine.
Reena is the host of Reena’s Exploration Challenge. Reena says:
This is where I lost myself
This is where I found myself
Choose any one and base your piece on it. It is not necessary that the words appear in the piece. It is a theme to be followed.
Instead of choosing one or the other with specific moments, I chose to use both, starting with being lost and then finding myself more generally speaking. I thought the poem might sound good being read and so recorded it. Both poem and recording are a little rough, but that’s ok with me.
I’m also linking this to dVerse OLN for 7/25/19.
Tao Talk 
after reading your lovely poem, I was not sure if you lost or found yourself.
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Jim, you know, as I think about it, I’m not sure either. Very insightful.
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Excellent. Last lines suggest you found yourself. Thanking cannot be absent-minded.
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Indira, I appreciate your thoughtful comment!
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Thanks, dear.
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This is incredibly penned, Jade! ❤️ I loved hearing you read your work aloud and was mesmerized by;
“Birds and butterflies rode air currents overhead
Flat on my back clouds flowed past in sky stream
Anchors gone but grounded again,
I clenched a clump in my hand and smelled it
Pungent, fertile, it makes flowers grow that
feed the bees. I hummed a little tune
and thanked the helping hand for giving me
a living way along the path, fresh as a daisy”
*swoon*
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Sanaa, thank you so much. Glad you connected with it :)
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Oh I loved this! It was definitely an exploration challenge Lisa. I’m so happy you found yourself 🙂
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Christine thank you.
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Very interesting and energetic piece–I read it as a stream of consciousness fever dream, shifting locales and focus as only dreams can
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Glenn, I appreciate your reading and thoughts on it. Yes definitely stream of consciousness in a dream-like state :)
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I so admire that last stanza reading, specially being thankful for the helping hand, and that promise of something new along the journey,
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Grace thank you and glad you connected with it.
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Like a swirling meditative dream. (K)
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Thank you, K.
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A psychedelic wonder, Jade, which put ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ into my head – now I’m humming it!
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So happy you enjoyed reading, Kim :)
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This was a captivating read Lisa. Thank you for sharing it for OLN, love the pic!
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Thanks so much, Rob. Glad you enjoyed it.
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I know desperate peace Of falling… caught and cradled by pungent fertile fecundity, evokes a knowledge. I whirled with you in the air. Well written
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Lona, glad the poem resonated with you, thank you for your thoughtful comments.
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The repetitive chop line was very effective.
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Thank you very much, Nan.
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Fantastic poetry Jade. 💕 Brilliant imagery of earth and air. Marvelous reading in your audio clip.
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Thank you, Suzette, glad you enjoyed reading and listening.
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