The Raving Poets - Victoria Rohac

In The Full Bent

It's the dead of night
and the stars are sailing
through a river of clouds.
In the alleyways you can hear
strings of laughter -
the people out in their back yards -
singing.

The streetlamps look dim,
and I find myself just standing there
watching them.
I'm standing there
imagining myself walking down some path in the west -
frost melting beneath my footprints;
rocks under my shoes.

And the ocean.

I heard it -
and then I woke up.

And I realized,

That I am stuck-
In the way you move.
Watching you from across this room
Makes me think of a time that
I almost can’t remember
Standing there -
In the corner of your eye.

Yes - that was me -
Over there -
In that
Corner.

That place,
That time.

It was that irreconcilable blast
That took me under.
Enveloped my thoughts
Snapped my nerves
Just beneath the gentle force of your breath.

And it can rain for days
And it can shine for days
And I still can’t seem to tell the difference
These days.

Because I can still stay here.
Let’s just stay.
And stand absolved.
Sweep up the muck
And toss it out the window.

Because it’s already open.
And waiting.

And then we could just sit
Up there on the sill
And sing until our voices got hoarse.
Until the moonlight comes -
It can carry your skin so softly in the dark.

A breath.
A real breath of this air
and suddenly I feel as though
the ground beneath my feet is lifted -
and soft.
And pressing against my gravity
just like water does while I'm
bathing.

You - are like soft water.
Surrounding me -
and feeding me.

And thinking about all of this
Makes me feel like I’m
Squeezing through notes
And sounds
Of those screaming voices -
Pushing my hands through the crowd -
Seeing all of the faces
Full of fear
And then -
It strikes me.
Plucks my heart down into the pit
of my stomach -
forces its way up into my mouth -
spreading sweetness all around.
Like a strong wind
Flying me right into what I thought could never
Exist -
Love.
Dreams.
These gifts bring light onto the lips that frowned.
And remind me -
Make me think a little more -
And a little more clearly.

That these offerings can hold me
They can fill me up until I am full.
And then they can rest there -
Inside -

Just like the moon -
And the stars.