Ajar is a sacred word
by Alicia Austen
Ajar is
a sacred word
now
that it is necessary to be noncommittal
Houses stand
erect and
old
shut like
fists
except
where breezes enter through open orifices
and private sounds
escape
above empty sidewalks
Looking out
from my armored entry,
I close my eyes
in order to picture what I do not see—
people walking past
wheels moving
a mass of
artificial
colors
flickering in sunlight
Is this why we–
periodically–
consecrate the mundane?
Does strife
imbue it
with special powers
until
it shines like
molten wax?
If a neighborhood is an entity—
silence anarchy—
what is humanity,
but a movie projected at the wrong speed
one step ahead
or
behind
reality
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I write things as I see them, which means avoiding the literal at all costs while embracing oddness, layers, and complexity. My goal is to use as few words as possible.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Alicia Austen is an Ohio-based writer. Her work has appeared in various small press newspapers, periodicals, podcasts, and anthologies including The Atomic Tomorrow, Sticky Kitchen, Women Writing for a Change, The Paperbook Collective, Fossil Lake II: The Refossiling, and Epic of World Saga. She blogs at onetrackmuse.com.
Houses stand
erect and
old
shut like
fists… love your writing
Thank you so much!
It is the third verse that has captured me. Yes, let us consecrate the mundane!
Thank you!
Reblogged this on Carolyn O' Connell and commented:
A lovely and pertinent poem for this time
Thanks!
Reblogged this on A Small Press Life: Books. Art. Writing. Life. Tea. and commented:
My poem is featured on Silver Birch Press! Check it out.
love the haunting feel to your poem.
Oh, thank you so very much!