Sunday, October 30, 2011

The Palms, My Palms

Photo, unknown artist

On a cool October morning, I lie,
Woodplank back upon the floor,

And here...

My face hides
Beneath my folded arms,
Awkward branches staving off
The epiphany of light.

Too much light, I tell myself,
As if there were such a thing.

It has taken me this long
To get from there to here,

This

Being a measure of My Time,
A certain pretense of something my own
Inside the anonymity of this universe.

Something… what?
I cannot tell,

Nor can I know what thirst
Anguishes my fingers
While my empty palms are held
Open
White
Wanting

To skim the wounded glass of a forgotten window,
To graze the peeling husk of an abandoned door,

To know,
Something was here
But no longer is.

Memory is not such a bright thing,
I whisper to myself.

Some nights it means the tease of non-existence,
Some days it means losing something… twice
Having found it… once.

Are two losses better than one, I ask myself,
When one loss was quite enough
the first time around?

But now,
The palms…

My palms (for I do not disown them)
Are yet open
Like obsessing eyes
Even now
Even… knowing the hallucinations of memory
Are re-losses,

Even now
My palms are
Open
White
Wanting

too much light

To calm the thirst that swells
Like the arrhythmic appearance of lust,
Like a tide surrendering to the moon,

it was not my eyes that followed
but the tingling of my fingers that led

Wanting

To follow, obsessively,

to kiss the empty air in the wake of…

Wanting…

Oh, anguished fingers!
Oh, ailing bones!

25 comments:

:-Dee said...

I love the way you have expressed your thoughts and the choice of words so profound. Great piece of writing right here..

nyssa said...

Incredible Nevine. I felt it bone deep. Beautiful.

void said...

beautiful poem, Nevine! I always enjoy coming here! :)

Owen said...

"To skim the wounded glass of a forgotten window
To graze the peeling husk of an abandoned door"

Two of the finest lines I've ever read anywhere... these can't help but resonate with any lover of stranded abandoned places. Peace be with you, Nevine

S. Susan Deborah said...

It has been a long time since I've read anything about the palm. A part of the body so vital, but so forgotten. As I read your poem, I saw my palms and the lines that were theirs and mine.

Nevine, through the palm you have opened a world of straying thoughts and incidents related to those thoughts.

Bravo, Nevine.

I wish you a lovely November ahead.

Joy always,
Susan

Martin said...

Hands tell us so much about a person, Nevine. This definitely struck a chord.

GYPSYWOMAN said...

my dear nevine - of all your words which touch me in so many ways, and of all my favorites of all those words, this i think, must be my all time absolute favorite of all the favored! to say that is is moving - powerful - beautiful - does it no justice - and i am left without words in its presence! magnificent is not magnificent enough but it is all i have - magnifique!!

Mildred said...

Coucou ma belle!
J'ai lu ton poème avant hier mais je n'ai pas laissé de commentaire! Je crois que mes mains sont un peu aveugles en ce moment!!!
Elles refusent parfois de voir ce que les yeux ne voient pas. Tout de même j'ai beaucoup aimé ton poème bien que je lui trouve un côté un peu obscur. Mais c'est surement parce que mon anglais est un peu défectueux.
Je vais aller te lire dans TNL maintenant et je reviens;o)

Mildred said...

Et voilà! Je suis allée, j'ai lu, j'ai aimé!
J'ai bien cru que tu parlais de moi;o)

***
Big BISOUS et soiréé, mon amie****

Mildred said...

He he he! Je crois que je suis un peu fatiguée!!!
Je voulais dire: BELLE soirée;o) TRÈS TRÈS BELLE soirée;o)

***
Re-BIG BIZZZZOUZZZZ****

Eva said...

There is such a soothing rhythm to this. It leaves me lost in memories of the past.

Mildred said...

He he he! On se croise encore une fois à travers la toile;o)

***
Big BIZZZOUZZZ, ma jolie * Je te souhaite une merveilleuse fin de semaine***

ps: Donne mon bonjour à qui tu sais;o)

Cildemer said...

Mr Blogger a refusé de publier mon comment!
Je recommence et espère que cette fois-ci il m'accordera la permission de le faire!

*******

Hi hi hi! Tu as remarqué pour le 25!
Et ce n'est pas tout! Si tu vas sur le siteWeekend Reflections tu verras que je suis la 25ème à avoir linké;o)

***
Re-big BIZZZOUZZZZ, ma belle****

Anonymous said...

"wow-ly".

Betty Manousos said...

superb choice of words, as usual.
and a powerful, sentimental poem, greatly lyrically expressed.
you got me with this one...i found myself diving so deeply into my emotions, and it was wonderful.
that's simply what we call the power and magic of poetry.

you're simply awesome, my dearest!

big hugs
betty xx

p.s. i've been through a tough situation recently, hence my late visit here.

Cildemer said...

Coucou ma belle!
Je venais voir s'il y avait du nouveau et je viens de te lire dans TNL!
Il m'arrive aussi de m'apitoyer sur soi-même, de faire ma Calimero! Ça dure un petit moment et après ça va mieux;o)
Et j'aime bien qu'il y ait des saisons, mais ici en Lorraine, je trouve que l'hiver et le mauvais temps durent bien trop longtemps! En général, je suis morose aux mois de novembre et de février! Alors vivement le printemps et l'été;o)

***
Big BIZZZOUZZZZ et belle soirée****

Nevine Sultan said...

Dee - Thank you so much for the very thoughtful comment... and for your visit. Much appreciated!

Glynis - Wow! Thank you. And, I haven't seen you around for a while in Blogland. I hope all is well!

Nevine Sultan said...

Urban Butterfly - Thank you, Camille. I enjoy swinging by your place equally!

Owen - And I know you are a lover of stranded, abandoned places... as am I. There is a magic there... an echo of... something. I don't know. Thank you for the comment about the two lines, Owen. I really appreciate that!

Nevine Sultan said...

Susan - Oh, yes... those palms... those lines! So much is being told inside them... and how they shield us, too. A part of the body we truly don't often think about, isn't it? Best wishes for a wonderful November to you too, Susan!

Martin - I'm happy you liked it, Martin. Thank you.

Nevine Sultan said...

Jenean - Your words are the magnificent words, actually. Thank you for the very warm comment, the very heartfelt words, Jenean. You are a discerning reader... and writer... and I truly appreciate your thoughts.

Mildred - Tu m'as fait rire!!! C'est comme si tu était ici, parfois. Et on parle... en buvant du thé... en rire. Merci, ma belle, pour toutes tes jolies pensées... pour tes visites... pour ta générosité!!! Tu es un vrai trésor!!! Bises bises bises!!! :-)

Nevine Sultan said...

Eva - Yes... memories... they can consume us, sometimes. But our palms... can shield us... I suppose.

Crémilde - Oui, je sais quelques-unes de tes histoires avec le numéro 7. Donc, bien... j'ai pensée à 2 + 5 = ??? Et, voilà!!! Bisous bisous!!!

Nevine Sultan said...

Andressa - Thank you.

Betty - I'm so sorry to hear you've had a troubling situation. I hope you are doing well. I have been quite behind, myself, lately. No worries, my dear! After all, we are not going anywhere. And thank you so much for your very sweet words... always!!! Big hugs to you!!!

Nevine Sultan said...

Crémilde - Quand on était en Belgique, l'hiver durait pour une éternité!!! Mais moi... j'adore le mois de Mars, le Juin, l'Octobre, et le Décembre!!! C'est quoi, donc... tous les trois mois? :-) Merci, ma belle Crémilde. Tu es vraiment une fée. Big bisous!!!

Mildred said...

Alors, tu es née au mois de Mars, juste avant le printemps, juin c'est mon anniversaire, octobre c'est quand tu as rencontré ton chéri et décembre c'est parce que tu as une âme d'enfant et que tu aimes les cadeaux;o)
J'ai tout juste!?!?!?!

***
Big BIZZZOUZZZZ et belle fin de semaine, mon amie****

Nevine Sultan said...

Mildred - He he he... précisément! Tu as tout juste... presque!!! ;-) Bon weekend, ma belle! Big bisous!!!