she sends me messages often in quotes because she knows I read them
she comes disguised as learned men and nobodies preachers and mumblers
sometimes days in a row sometimes years
for sometimes I am keen other times dense
I gather the bits of wisdom that haven’t fallen between porch planks
I smooth them across my breast hoping they will sink in
I snap at them with my teeth as they somersault upon the air
I search for them deep in flowers and rise powder-nosed and foolish
at the end of days like now
drugged with carelessness melting into shapelessness
I feel them settle on my lashes
“be independent of the good opinion of others”
she whispers them wet against my lobes
“when you require no approval you will own yourself”
presses into my sleeper’s pout
“their opinion of you is none of your business”
one last lesson she leaves curled within my palm
“no one ever goes away, until they teach us what we need to know”
and I will wake with the knowledge of this thing
and the persistent inability to feel it
“Quotations gleaned from the works of Wayne Dyer, Neale Donald Walsch, Terry Cole-Whittaker and Pema Chodron, in that order.”
Claudia said:
learned not lived…love the title..we can learn so much from other people and i like when they put their wisdom into quotes, but i also think that we can only really understand once we’ve been through something… love all the images here..how they come, how we search and how we struggle to put them to work in our everyday..
darkangelwrites said:
Thanks for reading Claudia. There is the mental understanding and the physical one and sometimes a ravine between.
Leighton (Forbidden Poet) said:
Yours words seem to hit chord deep inside. It’s good to see you know of Neal and Wayne Dyer. They are both people that inspire me and I’m guessing you to.
Now I know Why I Can Connect With What You Write.
Thanks.
darkangelwrites said:
Hi Leighton. Yes I’ve read many, many of their books. I’m glad this one connected with you. We did an exercise a while back where we explained our inspiration to a poem or explained the poem itself. Mine is a look into my spirituality. You may like it too: https://darkangelwrites.wordpress.com/2012/03/14/await/
brian miller said:
there is much packed into that short title…i like the description of your grappling with each of these….the smoothing them out on yourself hoping that they soak in, how they fall on your lashes….as claudia says, we can know but until we have been there do we really?
darkangelwrites said:
The knowing of a thing and the doing of it for me is miles apart. I’ve learned, read, memorized these lessons but still they are not in me. Damn it anyway.
hedgewitch said:
gAH–those quotes, especially the last one–so hard to live with, while its going on and they *won’t* go away. The poem up to that point had me captivated, and the imagery is outstanding, especially as you lead into the “lesson” phase, so that we join you, powder-nosed, and perhaps a bit less foolish than when we began. Excellent work all through here, DA. We all keep slogging on, don’t we?
darkangelwrites said:
I”m glad you came by hedge as I’ll be at the ocean an unable to link up today. “Slogging” I’ve never heard that word but it sounds like my life alright. That last came to me lately and it points its finger at the others. It leaves me saying “I know, I know!” But apparently I don’t.
hedgewitch said:
Would you like me to link you in? Happy to if so–and I hope you’ll bring some of the ocean back in your wordpail for those of us landlocked .
darkangelwrites said:
Awww. That would be really nice, thanks. I live on the coast and haven’t been to the beach for more months than I should admit!
hedgewitch said:
No problem. You’re in. Have fun, DA. The ocean is just one of those places that we need sometimes.
Susan L Daniels said:
Wonderful poem–it not only spoke to me, it yelled at me! Very well done, and thanks hedge for linking this up!
darkangelwrites said:
I’ve really tried to work on my yelling… damn. 😉 Seriously, I’m glad you connected with it.
Susan L Daniels said:
🙂 totally loved it!
John (@bookdreamer) said:
Loved the central image and theme of the poem
darkangelwrites said:
Thank you John.
tashtoo said:
How do we know and trust ourselves to detach from those good opinions. Yes…so many, many, wise words…alas…how does one get herself to a place where the spinning realities will quiet enough for her to hear…you know how deep you’ve cut with this one, eh? A simple “like” really doesn’t do it justice…
darkangelwrites said:
Tash I’m glad it meant something to you. I never know who is gonna respond to what. But I guess I just write for me so its all whipped cream on top. 🙂
ayala said:
Love the title and poem…loved listening to you!
darkangelwrites said:
😀 Thank Ayala.
Serena said:
I can so relate to the idea of wisdom speaking through everything yet so many times I’m not listening or able to hear. I like how you incorporated the quotes and especially enjoyed hearing you speak them. Beautifully done. BTW I love your blog title and “Within me lives the saint and the sinner, and each regrets the other.” I thoroughly enjoyed this poem. It resonated within me deeply.
darkangelwrites said:
Thanks Serena the tag line came from one of my first poems I blogged on this site. I feel like one big contradiction, so Dark Angel just seemed to fit. Thanks for your great comment!
danadampier said:
We must learn from life to really live. So beautiful and full of wisdom! I love the quotes you used, it really sent this poem to my heart.
darkangelwrites said:
Yep lessons, lessons, lessons. I like the days we are studying belly laughs and cartwheels myself.
danadampier said:
Me too!
flipside records said:
Ooh, I love Wayne Dyer! His daily quotes are the best. And I adore this poem. There is so much truth, wisdom, and heaviness here.
I picture this as being about your mum sending you messages from beyond, through other people and quotes, of course. 🙂 But it probably isn’t because I think you mentioned a rough relationship with her at some point. So maybe this is a grandmother whom you loved and trusted, sought advice from. either way, she is smart and obviously provides wonderful guidance.
These are my favorite parts:
“she sends me messages
often in quotes because she knows
I read them”
“she comes disguised as learned men
and nobodies
preachers and mumblers”
“I search for them deep in flowers
and rise powder-nosed and foolish”
“at the end of days like now
drugged with carelessness”
“she whispers them wet against my lobes
‘when you require no approval
you will own yourself’
presses into my sleeper’s pout
‘their opinion of you is none of your business'”
And your ending blew me away:
“and I will wake with the knowledge of this thing
and the persistent inability to feel it”
Fantastic. Loved the whole thing.
[You spelled “guidance” wrong in your tag list.]
darkangelwrites said:
Heavy perhaps… I’ve been a little too lost in my thoughts lately. Poetry is a good way to get it out. Kinda like a book report on the day or week. And thanks for edit 🙂 always appreciate those. My grades in grammar school for creative writing were always A+/C-, content over grammar and punctuation, lol!
Archna said:
I love seeing “the bits of wisdom” roll like marbles and the motion of allowing them to sink in. And the idea of living without limits on comfort and being the one to ‘approve’ yourself, holding the trust within yourself. Very lovely and such a strong title, too.
darkangelwrites said:
Archna I wish I could hold the trust within instead of looking without. Someday. Thanks for the thoughtful comment.
apshilling said:
Simply, a delight to experience – your words, your voice… Your mind? 😀
darkangelwrites said:
Yea one thing about my poetry, it’s all me.
johnallenrichter said:
Dark Angel, you have created a beautiful poem surrounding two of the greatest truths ever known: That you can be you and autonomous of other’s feelings or approval, and that everyone enters your life for a reason which is always fulfilled. Your wisdom has not passed through the planks of my porch and though impossible to know – I’m guessing my reason for being here is simply to adore your amazing ability to share it… Much food for the soul here…….
darkangelwrites said:
John that is the sweetest comment. And since I really care, even though I know I shouldn’t care what people think of me,… I thank you dearly.
Poet Laundry said:
I like the candor of your struggle. Really a good write, and I love the ending.
Poet Laundry said:
…and when I say “your” I mean mine too–can definitely identify here.
darkangelwrites said:
🙂
darkangelwrites said:
Thank you Poet Laundry.
tigerbrite said:
Soft and melodic with deep wisdom :).
darkangelwrites said:
Thank you Tiger!
rmp said:
There is something about the third stanza, “I gather….” that just captures me.
You included some nice quotes.
I wish I could live this one, “their opinion of you is none of your business.”
very nice!
darkangelwrites said:
Hi RMP, thanks for popping by; I like that stanza too.
luka74tomlinson said:
rarely do I get to hear the poet express-pause and navigate the intent, the added dimension made this crushing.. as of the words themselves i can say little to justify such welling, sometimes I watch others and wonder If they also struggle within themselves as I do, never have I posed the question outloud but it’s more of an embodiment of who I am than I wish to admit.. this for me rang both true and personal which is a mere extention of your skill and ability to reach a greater audience.. thankyou, luka
darkangelwrites said:
Hi Luka. If I write and post and then “reach” somebody, it then makes sense to write. Thanks for reading and for the great comment.
Luke Prater said:
much wisdom here. Thank you
darkangelwrites said:
If you’ve lived these lessons your’e leaps and bounds ahead of me.
Luke Prater said:
Oh I didn’t say that