Spilled

as pigment from a bottle -

as wine from a carafe -

 

the soul too can spill.

contents spread like buried secrets

driven out of their boxes

and in to the unforgiving light

 

when hidden things are found -

when forgotten things are unearthed -

 

my veins are hollow shafts of feather

waiting - again - to drink ink

and make unholy confessions

my heart is not ready to examine

Reviews

[Great Aunt Astri]

I love the metaphore of 'spilling'. What a lot we all do spill into the 'unforgiving light'. But I think you need to have a few words with that ink, and tell it to stop making 'unholy confessions'! But I enjoyed the poem, I thought it was really clever.

[Ken Simm.]

Glad I discovered this. I was simply guiltily returning a review favour but this changed all that. The form here is superb. I like the visual side to it (the carafe and the ink illusions)and the apparent watercolour romance hiding so much more that is shadowed and hinted. A lovely piece of work.

[CD Campbell]

I think this is a really good poem. I like the 2/4/2/4 line stanzas. It breaks up things up and shows then tells. It shows a visual in two then follows with a "let me explain" in four. It has a scheme instead of junk on a page and it shows effort. As far as content; a spilling of emotion of why you spill your emotions. A lovingly written disclaimer. CD

[Ara Mosby]

Many thanks :)

[J. K. Beach]

Spilling blood on a page, spilling our guts, spilling ink... we writers do it all the time. Often these kinds of cathartic moments produce the best collections of words, but I think that the connectiion you made between the spilling/confessing and the things we keep hidden in our hearts is an important one.

What we write is of us, but it is not us. We can ink thoughts and emotions from the well at our very centers without really getting to the bottom of things. We can drink without looking too closely at the source.

What lovely thoughts on the basic process of writing you have spilled here.

[Ara Mosby]

Thank you so much!

[Einstein Noodle]

brutal honesty and true courage is needed when walking the halls of our souls .. well done! deep penetrating thoughts and wise understanding says i! right down my alley!
E.
ps your painter/poet is obvious .. i like it!

[Ara Mosby]

Thank you so much!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

we might block out the pain, or block it from reentering the heart, but we certainly spill the contents of those hidden or forgotten emotions onto the page---

i now feel that often, i bypass the actual feeling and just transfer it immediately onto the page.

relate to this metaphor well.

j.

[Ara Mosby]

Thank you so much, I'm glad the metaphor was not lost :)

[emily.c.]

This is so nice. It's true it's not always on purpose, great choice of metaphor :)

[Coyote Poetry]

I enjoyed this poem. Honest, strong and worthwhile words.
"the soul too can spill.
contents spread like buried secrets
driven out of their boxes
and in to the unforgiving light"
The unforgiving light. Unknown secrets become less painful with time and distance. I liked the feel of real life and struggle in the words. Thank you for sharing the excellent poetry.
Coyote

[Ara Mosby]

Thank you so much

[Coyote Poetry]

You are welcome Ara.