Cut the twining cord quickly
with a sharp scissors
Use the cord clamp to stem
the bleeding
It will not hurt (for now)
The scars will fold under my navel
As will my native tongue
sink to the bottom of my belly of fears
Learn the language of
weather politeness of 4 seasons
Handle the etiquette
of fork & knife with ease
Still the waving hands as intuition
& glaze the summer skin to winter ice
Walk the balancing act
between following & not following
between listening & not listening
To myself & this pathway that I have
chosen, from brave idea to blistering reality
of starting over in a new country
a 360 degree turn
from one journey to another
Jump as if there is no bridge
to return to,
Even if each detour, is a dead-
weight of self-blame
Even if every mistake is a sword to
the carefully constructed excel timeline-
In the rearview,
Plow along as elegant swans, with no outside
signs of breaking point
What kept me sane, gentle as raindrops?
Writing poems
A balm & thread to my turmoil
Strewn away as spinning dandelion fluffs
on a windy summer day, scattering
verses lead to stanzas, rhymed
& unrhymed, each poem
a journey to
Forgive & find myself
after patching & stitching faded lilac
blooms & falling autumn leaves to my sleeves-
I am (wholly) grateful
For marking 20 years in this land, we now call home
Posted for dVerse Poets Pub: Poetics: Building from the Broken hosted by Mish. Celebrating this day as our first day in Ontario, Canada with my family. What a journey it has been!
I love this journey you describe, and what a great submission to the anthology... the way poetry is the glue to mend and to heal that journey of uprooting from somewhere else.
ReplyDeleteYour poem is epic, uplifting and beautiful, Grace! Having lived in another country and spoken another language, these lines resonate:
ReplyDelete‘The scars will fold under my navel
As will my native tongue
sink to the bottom of my belly of fears’.
I also love these lines:
'Writing poems
A balm & thread to my turmoil
Strewn away as spinning dandelion fluffs
on a windy summer day’.
Oh Grace, this is a beautiful, heartfelt pouring of words and I feel blessed to learn more of your story. I can only imagine the strength and mixture of emotions one experiences from leaving their own country to start life in another. My son's g/f has been here for two years from the Philippines and she amazes me with all she has adapted to. Congrats on 20 years in Canada! Much love xo
ReplyDelete~Mish
DeleteSo moved by your lightness of touch, that belies a deeper, truer story. Thank you x
ReplyDeleteAn migrant's tale of rebirth in a new country - how pointed and paintful the reminder to citizens of countries with ever-taller border walls .... And how we all are native and not in this ever down-the-road life.
ReplyDeleteI'm intrigued by the scar under the navel as metaphor for the journey you describe here.
ReplyDeleteA great poem of adventure and transition, Grace. It must have been quite and adjustment for you. Glad you are doing well in your adopted country!
ReplyDeleteA wonderful telling of the process of moving to a strange land and of poesie being the balm that soothes the transition Grace. My sister has also lived in Canada for much the same length of time but coming from England, I am sure it was an easier journey for her...
ReplyDeleteThis is perhaps what we all have in common...this healing balm of the words and comfort we find within ourselves and share as poetry.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful and poignant poem. I imagine many immigrants must feel the same way--burying their former life, embracing the new--finding a home.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful how you describe your journey, especially with your question and answer here:
ReplyDelete"What kept me sane, gentle as raindrops?
Writing poems
A balm & thread to my turmoil
Strewn away as spinning dandelion fluffs
on a windy summer day, scattering
verses..."
🌸
Hi Grace, I love the journey your poem took me on. There is a lot of tension that the narrator is navigating. I lived in South Korea for eight years and had learn to communicate in a language and culture very different than my own. I can appreciate the struggles you've had. Thank you for posting your poem. -aaron g.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fine journey you have made and we are better for having been able to read your poems all these years!
ReplyDelete