A Glimpse by Allison Grayhurst

A Glimpse

There was a glimpse
of a sunrise, a dazzling ending
and wild grass, lush and life-filled
to walk towards, into, barefoot and perfect
as God’s grace is perfect, reducing the darkness
unnameable and innocence, reclaimed.

There was a moment
when I could see like a prophet sees
or a sorcerer, flexing joy in dimensional
vividness, dilated, stripped of
my armour, tension and dread.

Army on a hill, hungering for the water flowing
downstream. Woman on a ship, surrounded
by the sea with a kicking babe in her expanded belly.
Is there land? Is it heaven or just a dream?

If I risk, I risk it all
with nothing to risk it for in sight.
If I stay, I am a drowned clover,
no different than the meat-eaters,
the non-shapeshifters and the drones.

What do I say to the arrested vision,
the backward plucking?
I had a glimpse, a gift
of jewels overflowing.
Am I mad, believing? I think I am,
trapped in this curse – hours upon years
chipping at the granite with my teeth, pushing
my way through with no end in sight, damaging
the sack around my heart,
relentlessly fulfilling my duty.

There was a glimpse,
something of God in a ghost-filled place.

Someone tells me to believe that this darkness
is ending, that the gamble is launched
and victory is already
in my hands.

If I could astral-project, I would go
to that place I glimpsed, just to be sure it was there.
If I could be more than I am, I could find peace
in the corner of this prison cell.

The birds say one thing, and my body another.

The glimpse was here and it was hope.
I will not deny its existence.
I will not fight its wound or its expectation,
but surrendering to my limitations,
into the wet earth,
I will give way, pacified.

Allison GreyhurstAllison Grayhurst is a member of the League of Canadian Poets. Four of her poems were nominated for “Best of the Net” in 2015/2018, and one eight-part story-poem was nominated for “Best of the Net” in 2017. She has over 1200 poems published in more than 475 international journals and anthologies. In 2018, her book Sight at Zero, was listed #34 on CBC’s “Your Ultimate Canadian Poetry List”. Her book Somewhere Falling was published by Beach Holme Publishers, a Porcepic Book, in Vancouver in 1995. Since then she has published sixteen other books of poetry and six collections with Edge Unlimited Publishing. Prior to the publication of Somewhere Falling she had a poetry book published, Common Dream, and four chapbooks published by The Plowman. Her poetry chapbook The River is Blind was published by Ottawa publisher above/ground press December 2012. In 2014 her chapbook Surrogate Dharma was published by Kind of a Hurricane Press, Barometric Pressures Author Series. In 2015, her book No Raft – No Ocean was published by Scars Publications. More recently, her book Make the Wind was published in 2016 by Scars Publications. As well, her book Trial and Witness – selected poems, was published in 2016 by Creative Talents Unleashed (CTU Publishing Group). She is a vegan. She lives in Toronto with her family. She also sculpts, working with clay. More on Allison Grayhurst can by found via her web site by clicking here…

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