My Origin of Poetry
A need to release suppressed emotion
The first emotion comes from the well
Gurgling light-years below the surface
At last pulverizing through the stone and flesh,
Holding it prisoner.
Unseen and unknown to the self, keeping guard
Oblivious to the storm coming,
Ignoring the sensation rising in the gut, while
Binding the broken shell together with swathing.
A most insignificant occurance to most
Is a nuclear trigger,
An awesome display of power
Converting puddles to tsunamis.
Releasing the archive of hidden trauma
Banned from consciousness by shame and guilt
Insignificant to the shallow, lethal to the deep,
Terrifying but necessary.
A question, a tone, a name, an exclusion,
An inside joke instantly weaponized,
Becoming a catalyst for the storm
Both destroying and cleansing.
Each letter, each word
Exploding from fingertips
Like a sledgehammer demolition
Smashing each brick of pain until complete.
A process of years, of stories, of loss
Never-ending, so it seems
Recognizing the now familiar triggers
Haunting my every moment.
A spark of hope comes and disappears quickly,
Snuffed out by a smug blow,
Somehow I find a new one
And cling to it as a lifejacket.
Continuing to let the water of destruction flow,
Knocking down the structure of humiliation,
While clearing and cleansing the only path
That I can take for my healing journey.
I’m a stay at home mom who dreams of becoming a published author…currently working on my first book of fiction. Poetry is a creative release and I’m thrilled when people understand and appreciate it as well.
Other poems by Lori Petrie you may enjoy.
