"Disorderly Speaking" and "What a Picture is Worth"
Disorderly Speaking
I cling to
illusions of comfort
from voices
channelled through cable
on pet TV
controlled remotely
the sting
of beloved dead ones
breathing anachronistically
our friends who never knew us
soul pinched
by attachment
distraction from pain
triggers for the senses
connective
electricity
from the universe
learning and leaning in
then freeze-stroke panic
role switching white noise
shielding knowledge
of the war within
neurons burst
submissively
inhaling through the veil
I may never know
what this is
but I bow
and keep the door open
What a Picture is Worth
I want to write
create an atmosphere
but the alphabet fails me.
I approach color instead.
My hand moves over a substrate
holding a brush, a cotton swab
a steal ball on a stick
or nothing at all
just hands manipulating color
like a child before it’s criticized
back to “normal.”
I am happy in this play
and continue until satisfied
then I share with you
my excitement with color
my poetic depiction
my one thousand words.
Beside writing and publishing for decades, Belinda Subraman was a Registered Nurse for 14 years, mostly in hospice. She’s also an artist working in ink and acrylics. She’s a member of several drumming groups and has been playing African rhythms for over five years taught directly from African masters. She also has a daily yoga practice and a book of poetry called Left Hand Dharma published by Unlikely Books in 2018.
