what we want

what we want s

going through
is not the same as
being caught–
and we ask
ourselves where we are when we
leave, when we return—

sometimes it’s
as if the sky is
falling, as
if the seas
boil, overflowing, as if
we live in reverse–

we stand here
without direction,
wearing the
masks of our
mistaken identities,
a who without why–

all ways end
and all are filled with
beginnings–
the light tags
us with shadows, as darkness
swallows us inside

For Sue Vincent’s photo prompt, above. When I go into my collage box, I have to work with what I’ve got…it’s not always what I’m looking for…

I also went to see the Leonard Cohen show at the Jewish Museum today.

10 thoughts on “what we want”

Sue Vincent says:

July 1, 2019 at 5:06 am

Deeply moving, Kerfe… and beautifully done.

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1. memadtwo says:
  
  July 1, 2019 at 2:56 pm
  
  Thanks Sue.
  
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Jane Dougherty says:

July 1, 2019 at 7:44 am

There are so many good lines in this one. I particularly like:
…our
mistaken identities,
a who without why–
and
the light tags us with shadows

A lot of unanswered questions in the image that you pick up in the poem.

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1. memadtwo says:
  
  July 1, 2019 at 2:43 pm
  
  Thanks Jane. I kept revising and in this case I think it led to much better lines.
  Much unanswered–I’ve seen a lot of optimistic responses to this photo–not my feeling of it at all.
  
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  1. Jane Dougherty says:
    
    July 1, 2019 at 2:58 pm
    
    Optimism is one of the last things I see in that image.
    
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merrildsmith says:

July 1, 2019 at 12:51 pm

I really like this one, and I agree lots of great lines–and all those unanswered questions.
I saw that Leonard Cohen show advertised on some bit of public media–sounds wonderful.
I like your collage, particularly that stairway to nowhere (I almost wrote know where)–and those shadowy figures like ghosts or memories.

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1. memadtwo says:
  
  July 1, 2019 at 2:30 pm
  
  Thanks Merril. My collage box kept going to the stairs…I’ve found that, as with the Oracle, it’s best to listen. I like “know where”–I do those transpositions often myself.
  My friend Tamar had been to the show twice, and highly recommended it–she was right. And I need to try and get back, too much for one visit.
  
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rivrvlogr says:

July 1, 2019 at 6:52 pm

I totally understand how “Where do I go from her?” can become a loop, or even a spiral that pulls further inward. This captures that well.

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1. memadtwo says:
  
  July 2, 2019 at 2:04 am
  
  Thanks Ken. I think we’ve all been there at times.
  
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