I approach the doorcautiously,
my footsteps
heavy and slow.
I am deliberately
making this choice,
and I accept
whatever consequences
await me.
Things will never
be the same
when I cross
that threshold,
but I must do this.
Nothing’s going
to bring back
my father,
and I’ve been in pain
so long,
I’ve gone numb.
Whatever I find
in the coming steps
will determine
my path
from here
into eternity.
Reaching
for the pull,
a fleeting thought
nags:
Am I arriving
or am I leaving?
[Written for Dverse Poets - write about a door; photo used by permission by Lillian Hallberg.]
Oh I love this use of the photo and the words -- so thought provoking. They carry so much emotion without bridging over into sentimental -- reaching for the pull....contemplating opening or closing a door......
ReplyDeleteVery well done!
Find myself, about the final days of my dad, and how, it was the telephone, which connect us, over the long distances that physically separated us. As I replay, our last conversation, before his deathly heart attack, on Friday, November 13th.
ReplyDeleteAs for your last stanza, I feel like, you're doing both, at the same time. In saying, the final good-bye, and beginning the healing, you need to, as the grief leaves you.
And it leaves me wondering the same...and I’ve been in pain
ReplyDeleteso long...so either you are deciding to heal or not. Very emotional and very true in the emotions.
Such a beautifully emotive write, Mosk.
ReplyDeleteLove that last line, especially, Mosk. Sometimes, aren't we doing both at the same time?
ReplyDeleteI admire the twist in the ending....arriving or leaving? Its like is it the beginning or the ending ~ Good one Mosk ~
ReplyDeleteAre we real or just characters in someone else's dreams? The older I get, the more I pause after going through a door, & wonder why I'm in motion. Bill
ReplyDeleteCosby said our memory goes to our butt; go back & sit down, look around, & you will figure out if you are coming or going. In reality, an arrival is always post-journey, no matter how brief.
Great ending question to ponder
ReplyDeleteThought provoking and well written.
ReplyDeleteEnigmatic. A decision once made cannot be undone. I know those decisions and the agony in making them.Thought provoking.Excellent poem.
ReplyDeleteNice reading, Mosk. If you don't open the door you want ever know.
ReplyDelete..
People come and go but memories stay forever...well written and emotional
ReplyDeleteTrue feeling always comes through, I think. This poem tugged at my heart strings.
ReplyDeleteThe motifs and metaphors are perfect for the topic. And besides that, this really had emotion packed into every line.
ReplyDeleteThe ending caught me by surprise. I love that.
ReplyDeleteAh, such a good question, contained in the final lines. Does one ever really leave home, family or childhood influences behind?
ReplyDeleteThis is intense--one of those touchstone moments in a life that determine the future. Even when we make the wrong decision, somehow the wound will heal...maybe leave a scar...and we move one.
ReplyDeleteA philosophical take on the prompt. Hit home.
ReplyDeleteNice, Mosk! I like that the whole poem is an intense pondering, deliberate trek, only to arrive at the final uncertainty:
ReplyDeleteAm I arriving
or am I leaving?
Though-provoking indeed. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThe arriving or leaving
ReplyDeletethaT multi-door of
liFe i've fAced
three nows
iN total..
one at 21..
two at 47..
three strikes
and i'm still
here
door remains
open..
i
stand
uP..
and then
i Dance..
never
looking
back to doors
of
Death..
unless i'm wRiTinG
DancinG poetry
juST opening
old doors
foR
fUN..:)
The door in the photo seems inviting and what a great question you ask at the end! Death steals our loved ones and closes the door...I look forward to seeing my mother(s) again some day but much living to do yet :)
ReplyDeleteI truly love those last two lines... they add so much to the whole...
ReplyDeleteYour ending made the whole poem gel. I found it haunting, and thought-provoking.
ReplyDelete__To arrive, you leave an essence; in leavng, you step to another dream.
ReplyDeleteWhew...this pulled at my heart.
ReplyDelete