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Saturday 13 August 2011

an out-of-the-body experience

Knowing exactly where in my world I am in which room in which chair in the corner away from the light and seeing myself as a tree a rowan full grown shorn of all boughs blown in from my infant school play. I stand at the window furthest from me hands full of green boughs - Green Giant... that me? Leaves, berries and flowers and twigs fill the space where my features should be. Standing my ground as if planted unaware for awhile that it's me. All else in flux what you see is not what you get. People pass by people I know soft shadows fly over the ground rotating like blades on a slow ceiling fan or headlights of cars turning the corner (When shadows caress I regain human form my features appear then are gone in the next flash of light.) A man with a horse a friend on his bike my aunt - or great aunt (the features are blurred) having taken the veil Sister of Mercy she mumbles the prayer Jo said in the play and Mary, my friend who sang in the play. Febrile the mist (one hundred and five - I'll be told) that descends on my eyes. I look over at me. The distant,"new" me and the me that I am are locked in embrace We're leaning unstable the room sways and spins. Mini-beasts. Each larger than life. From the bark. Crawl over me. Centipedes. Beetles. Spiders with hairs. Spinning their silks, not making their webs. It goes dark. Then brightens again. Then back to dark. Leaves. Falling around me. Blowing away. Are luminous faces lighting the day. And mother's (with Lucozade) "Welcome back darling!"

I have sung through it all of The Runaway Train running over the tracks.
Remarkably, though, I've no recall of that.

9 comments:

Misterio Vida said...

marvelous as always :)

David Cranmer said...

Bravo!

The Weaver of Grass said...

I have had an out of body experience - your poem makes a good stab at describing it Dave

kaykuala said...

I's moving, Dave. It's extending all of its goodness. That's that wonderful feeling when reading your poetry.

kaykuala said...

Ghazal? Go for it Dave! Nothing's hurting! It's fun

Rose said...

Quite an experience - the distant new me and the me that I am locked in embrace - !!! Superb!

Windsmoke. said...

Very vivid imagery but i wouldn't like to meet another me that would be scary :-).

Mary said...

Well crafted, unique, and a different style. I like it.

Dave King said...

Thanks Muhammad. Much appreciated.

Thanks David.

The Weaver of Grass
Thanks for saying so. I found it very difficult to write, but have been wanting to for some time.

Kaykuala
Very generous comment. Thank you so much for it.

Rose
Very much appreciate you commenting on that. It was very confusing at the time - guess it still is!

Windsmoke
You're right. It was scary, though perhaps more scary afterwards, thinking about it, than at the time, trying to work out what was going on!

Mary
As always, thank you for a most valued comment.