In Darkness, Found

I remember how it was before,
being terrified of my dark.
I was sure hairy, multi-legged horrors lived there,
skittering and chittering mad thoughts
into my mind, already dizzy
with thoughts of my inadequacy.

I remember finding you,
doubting miracles such as you could be real.

I remember you going deep inside
where my dark lives,
kissing me,
naming each part you kissed
beautiful.
Your lips blessed
the most secret and darkest parts of me.
You did not force them into the light
but loved how they thrived where they were.

I remember beginning to heal,
not by disavowing or banishing the dark,
but embracing it as you embraced me.
I remember finding my faith,
in the darkness,
trading fear for pleasure,
forgetting what there was to be frightened of in the first place.


This poem marks a first for me as I combined 2 prompts to make this one Imaginary Gardens With Real Toads: The Paramour and A Dash of Sunny: Faith and Healing


64 comments:

  1. This is absolutely mesmerizing, the emotional experience and process of healing has been depicted with such a lot of passion. Beautifully executed. Thank you so much for participating :D

    Lots of love,
    Sanaa

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  2. Great song choice, and healthy ending. So rare in a poisonous poem:)

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    1. I like swerving a bit now and again when responding to prompts. :)

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  3. This is an excellent poem, but I think the following comma makes this the funniest statement:

    "I was sure hairy,"

    This section is so moving:
    "I remember you going deep inside
    where my dark lives,
    kissing me,
    naming each part you kissed
    beautiful."

    Fantastic ending as well.

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    1. ROTFL...good gods, I need to be better with my commas! Part of me wants to take it out, but then again the unintended humor is so goofy, so me, that despite the tone of the poem I rather like that quirky bit in there.

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  4. I like the message in this....healing but not by ignoring or disavowing the dark, but embracing it :-)

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    1. Right! I've never seen much good when people pretend it isn't there, while some of the most mentally healthy and whole people have seen their shadow drawn it in.

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  5. The paramour allows you to explore the darkness.. A wonderful ending, and hopefully you can enjoy both light and darkness.

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    1. Yes, it absolutely can. I think enjoyment may not come easily, at first, but the experience of light and dark can be a very rewarding one.

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  6. I am struck by the honesty of this piece. So many are frightened of that dark and it takes love to provide the release.

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    1. Yes, love can sometimes inspire us to be braver than we ever imagined.

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  7. Sometimes the other gives us what we can't give ourselves, or maybe don't know is within: the grail king whose kiss heals a thousand wounds. A sometimes that transforms one into a wounded healer. Very nice write, Rommy.

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    1. Brenden for the win!!!! This was exactly the thought process I had when I approached the idea of combining the two prompts. I loved the idea of a healer, initiated via the Other (whether the "other" is the internal anima/ animus described by Jung or an actual other) through the reconciliation to their darker internal landscape.

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  8. Luv the healing process in this piece: from creepy crawlie dark to the trade off of pleasure

    Thanks for stopping in tonread mine

    Much love...

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    1. Thank you. I definitely took an odd turn in approaching the prompt, but I'm glad I took a gamble with it.

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  9. Sometimes the darkest things are those inside - maybe they were placed there long ago and they are hard to shake off.. i love your ending in that they don't disappear - we can learn to live with them and if we are lucky find someone who can help us find a little light

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    1. Exactly. Some things I don't think can disappear, not truly. But at very least they can be understood.

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    2. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this again.. thank you

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  10. I remember finding my faith,
    in the darkness,
    trading fear for pleasure

    Strangely when it comes to be with a loved one everything will come into place. Each other's company becomes an avenue of affections!

    Hank

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    1. It certainly can be with the right person.

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  11. You shared the very real need not to banish our darkness, but to embrace it. This was a beautiful pairing of two prompts.

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    1. Thanks! I'm glad I was able to express the idea adequately.

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  12. The second stanza really sings to me, Rommy, as well as the beautiful, life-affirming ending. Healing is such a long lone process compared to how easy it is to wound--but you capture the essence of the grace it contains with this. As someone of my generation once said, 'Love is all you need.' But it really has to be love--not need, not pretend. Congrats on combining two prompts--this doesn't appear to be a cookie-cutter of either one, which is the sign you did it right.

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    1. I wanted to definitely twist the ideas a bit in my approach to this poem. I'm glad I was able to pull it off in a way that felt true.

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  13. It's always nice when we find the person who accepts us as we are and takes us further. Very astute Rommy.

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    1. Oh yes, it's such a liberating and enriching feeling.

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  14. First, I must say that I LOVE this title, what it promises... Then, let me say that I love everything else. I love how the speaker reveals the brightness of her dark places. There is so much power in how she walks form spot to spot, allowing her self to discovered, embraced and revered by what she thought were monsters... just to find herself in the presence of her healing angels. ♥

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    1. There is a definite beauty in the dark, if we stop to appreciate it instead of being scared by it.

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  15. Faith in someone whom we trust can lead to such a wonderful transformation such as you detailed in your poem. I thought your use of sensuous language worked brilliantly...

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    1. Thank you. I wasn't sure how much to push it or how much restraint to show, but I think that feeling added to what I was trying to go for.

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  16. very physical, yet emotionally deep experience conveyed with the ease of words.

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    1. Thank you. I'm glad I was able to convey that depth.

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  17. This sounds like the very best of luck in action.

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    1. Oh yeah, I love her too. I'm surprised I haven't introduced her too my kids yet.

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  18. Forgive if this is too personal: my reaction- I want to lay down with this poem and make love to it. This is so perfect - oh, that we should all be loved with such healing, such devotion. I'm stopping reading any more poetry for the day - I know I will not read anything that will touch my heart more. Big hugs and kisses to you for putting into words, what I've always wanted - Mosk

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    1. *blush* I'm THRILLED at that reaction - any time I can touch a heart so deeply makes me honored to be a writer and reminds me why I do what I do.

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  19. Sorry, but I was laughing at the, I was sure hairy! LOL!
    Seriously, this is a beautiful poem! The healing and finding someone who accepts us! Love!

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    1. ROTFL...oh my gods, yeah, me and commas. I swear I'm going to write something someday about how I abuse them so much.

      But I'm glad you enjoyed it anyway :)

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  20. I love how this poem teaches to embrace your darkness in order to find peace and comfort. Very well-written. Thanks for sharing.

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  21. A beautiful and deeply true blending of the two prompts.

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    1. Thank you. This was my first attempt at prompt blending and I'm glad it turned out well.

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  22. "Your lips blessed
    the most secret and darkest parts of me.
    You did not force them into the light
    but loved how they thrived where they were."

    This is a rare love - to be cherished.

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    1. I agree, love like this is not to be taken lightly.

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  23. Ahh, this is so sooo beautiful, it made me smile :) an empowering delicious journey Rommy, growth documented with love, great post :)

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    1. I am glad that the idea of empowerment came across in this and that you enjoyed it. :)

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  24. This is so lovely! -- And it is very reminiscent of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's "Sonnets of the Portuguese," in which she commemorates how Robert Browning's love was what took her from her dark world -- almost at death's door -- into light and life. I don't know if you've read "Sonnets of the Portuguese," but if you have not, you'd love them. I'll give you a link to a post I did a few years ago about the Browning's love story and the poems that immortalized it -- just in case you'd like to know more about it. (Of course, you may be very familiar with the story already, and if so, just ignore the link.)
    https://sandraconner.wordpress.com/2012/02/03/love-letters-574-and-counting/

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    1. I've actually been meaning to get to read it for some time now. Thank you for the wonderful reminder. :)

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  25. A most delightful second read, Rommy 💖 I think I swooned a little bit (wink) thank you so much for participating at Prompt Nights and for your constant love and support 💖


    Lots of love,
    Sanaa

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  26. The light and the strength shine just as bright the second time around. ☼ ♥ ☼

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    1. Thanks. I'm still quite fond of this piece.

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  27. evocative, so genuine a flow...loved the healing....

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  28. A beautiful, well crafted poem. I love the acceptance of things that love can bring,,so liberating it is.

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  29. Very profound piece, Rommy. I like the gentle and brave process the narrator in the poem engages in and explores the dark, and in the end embraces it.

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    1. It can be a very daunting process to go through, but as the protagonist finds, very rewarding.

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  30. The light of love showing us the beauty of our shadows XXX

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  31. What a wonderful tribute to the person who loved so purely that his/her love brought such healing.

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    1. Love like that should get a tribute from time to time.

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