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Soothing Breath
I watch the gentle tide of conversation
sweep over the table every night
like a soothing breath.
I can only watch,
a distant observer.
While not necessarily participating
in the brunt of conversation,
I am able to grasp the mood.
I see the cover of a professional become elucidated
the most intimate secrets
and excessive rages
revealed,
the guise that makes all people,
big and small,
cower in the face of what others think.
This is my safe place, my family,
where the feeling of others’ support
gives me power.
Power through protection
from those who are potentially hostile,
inflicting everlasting wounds
with words of everlasting potency.
And through the knowledge that I am
recognized and loved for being an individual.
I, the distant observer,
having grasped the mood,
have now been transformed,
from an unfeeling rock
into a man
who realizes the importance
of soothing breath
around the table every night.
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This article has 13 comments.
What an excellent poem, Sam.
I hope it is the first of many to come
Cheryl P.
