you burned your wedding dress,
but you stayed
to braid your fingers
through his,
until the pain stopped
and now you are
unknotting,
yielding & opening to air
in the slow float parachutes know
if only for a moment
before gravity pulls you
from your spiral
to a hold
you have been crying out for,
a grounding
there is grace
in this falling down.
Love it. I remember back to the previous poem about the burnt wedding dress, and the images in this one take us further along. The slow float spiralling back into gravities pull is perfect, as is the reflection on grace in the closing.
Thanks, David. This is for one of my good friends from high school, who is grieving.
I recall the earlier poem about the wedding dress too … this is so very sad ~ I hope she finds comfort in your lovely words
Polly, thanking you. I hope she does, too.
Grace in falling down … loved this line !!!
Thanks, GS. Sometimes from sadness, beauty.
Very graceful and silky smooth
thoughts are with nancy.
Thanks, Rhonda.
I like even though the content troubles!
Thanks, Noel. I like this one too–grief leading to a slow fall towards peace/grace. Hopefully. Poor woman is widowed at 45.
Very lovely; captures the emotion perfectly.
Thanks so much, Leo. So much of pain is the need to surrender to it.
“the slow float parachutes know” goodness, i love this line especially. it says everything at once.. the falling, the slow slow transit of time. lovely.
oh, Jane–thank you. I love assonance when it happens almost all on its own, describing that slow surrender to time…
Reminds me of one of my favorite moments in one of my favorite films – “The Lion In Winter”, where Geoffrey asks Richard, before they are executed “How does it matter how a man falls down?” and Richard replies “When the fall is all you have, it matters a great deal” so yes, I can see the grace in falling!
Seb–that fits so perfectly here. i remember that scene & it impacted me greatly.
A grace in falling down, I wish my fall had been so blessed.
Oh, Nelle, I know what you mean.
You made it visible and tangible and now it’s been shared.
Thanks, Ken. Yes.