Time

This week's Poetry Thursday topic was "time". In a week when I had very little of the ticking stuff I messed around with a bit of word play and came up with something that was quite fun and frivolous. However in the end I decided to post this poem, written a few months ago. It's indirectly related in that it tracks the passage of time, though it doesn't explore the theme of time directly. It was a very personal and significant poem for me at the time, although I hope it also has some general appeal.

This Body Has Borne You

This body has borne you,
Carried you down the birth tunnel
Out into harsh hospital daylight.
Lifted you onto all fours,
Two feet…
Sent you running on grass -
Over hills,
Through sand,
Squeezed between your bare toes.

This body has borne you,
Broken bones under monkey bars,
Fallen from your bike bruises,
Gravel grazes.
School hallways,
Shopping malls,
Pyjama parties,
Blue light discos.
First kiss on warm spring night.
Furtive caress in movie theatre darkness.

This body has borne you,
Pulled by the moon,
Nudged into womanhood,
Swelled you with passion,
Drowned you with tears.

This body has borne you,
Midnight furtive binges,
Repentant mornings.
No-carb diets and
Liquid detoxes.
Protein shakes,
Weights routines,
Long weekend runs and
Downward dogs.

Through illness,
Flush of health,
Wilful neglect,
Good intentions,
This body has borne you.

This body is not your enemy.
This body has loved you,
Stayed with you,
Suffered through your worst excesses,
Responded to your tentative
Attempts at reconciliation.

This body is your story,
Your road map.
This body shows where you have been.
If you allow it
This body will take you to
Where you are going.

This body is your friend.
This body is you.