"Life Cycles" and "In the End," two poems by Tabitha Kot

Life Cycles

Shivering Earth Mother,

pull closer your coat of withered leaves

and brown wet grass.

Cold wind-tickled toes

Autumn sun-kissed face

drop deeply to slumber

and rest well.

From your shrouded stillness

echo

shadowbelly rumblings

dark mystery murmurings

Earth-womb whisperings

hope 

for seasons yet to come.

In the End

1.

Shattered woman,

leaking soul from your lips,

What does it take to get to this place?

Leaning against neglected walls

clutching your string of pearls

           

The ghost of your child

            is your rope of death.

2.

Hollow woman,

bleeding

            slit open

     by the blade of loss,

love-guts long washed away by your pressure-hose tears,

you speak to me in cold whispers about your dream—

            that a bullet in your head

            stops your heart.

Instead,

the machine deep inside your chest

keeps that heart beating.

Your life

forced

moves along.

3.

Shadow woman,

stroking the porcelain back

of your headless child-replacement

seated beside you on the couch.

Searching through a box of eyes

so that what is sightless can see,

you are blind to the ones who still breathe.

Lifeless creations you cradle in your bosom,

precious,

while the ones still in warm flesh

stand bleeding for your love.

4.

Husk,

that once was Woman,

swinging by the vapours of

a child long gone.

What is vital,

sacrificed to memory.

Here there will be

no peace.

Tabitha Kot is a freelance writer and poet with work appearing in Vitality Magazine, The Trucking Network, and The Mississauga News.  A tree hugger at heart and a Yoga teacher by trade, her inspiration comes from the simplicity of the natural world and the complexity of human dynamics.  You can visit her at:  www.twistedpositions.com

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