Of Life and Song

I emerge from the cellar

I dwell there often

but it is not my home

I ascend

the stairs

step by step by step

The climb is winding

but I make it without complaint

I do this often

At the top of the stairs sits

a small table of mahogany

Burnished a shining burgundy with honey

upon the table is the vase

and across from the table

is the light at the center

The vase is sea green and boreal

impossibly delicate and strong

filled with life and song

I know it will be shattered soon

it does this often

the storm is coming and I cannot

prevent the fall

Winds howl and batter the lighthouse

a harbinger of things to come

and come they will, no matter how much

I wish it not to be

When the storm arrives

the tower will shake as if God himself

were pulling it from the earth

and the table will tilt

and the vase will fall

I cannot prevent this from happening

for I must tend the light

or others will be lost in the storm

the light must not be extinguished

or darkness will fall, without form

The storms will pass, their fury spent

and some will not see the day

I will move away from the center

and set right the table of mahogany and honey

and begin to pick up the pieces of the vase

of life and song

I have done this often

my hands will be cut

and my blood will flow

over the shards and the floor

and over the place where the vase

sits no more

I can no more control the fall

than I can control the storm

and the feeling of futility in aftermath

I carry each piece in my wounded hands

down the path

step by step by step

the journey down is the hardest

to the cellar where I dwell

though it is not my home

and begin to rebuild

the beautiful vase

of life and song

I do this often

to again make it

delicate and strong

 

This is a response poem to the new song by Linkin Park, One More Light, and the video tribute to Chester Bennington, as well as some personal things my family is going through.  I hope this speaks to all.  I recommend listening and watching.  As my friend Christine says, Peace and Light, and remember, the storms always pass….

OP

 

image courtesy of Esteban Cobo and Pinterest