Sandpaper Stars


Sandpaper stars know
best is brighter than
the last surrender into
blemished expectations.

Callous words can not
steal light life has earned
from a baptism of fire.

Time lapsed rapture
left us sipping nicotine
from gamma rays where
we were fashioned in
a cloud of dust.

We hang tattered, but whole
in a sapphire universe,
forgiving, forgetting,
overcoming the sanded speech
that tried to strip away our radiance.

©Ben Ditmars & Susie Clevenger 2014

I am proud to have participated in this poetic collaboration with the talented Ben Ditmars. You can find more of his work here.

Real Toads ~ The Tuesday Platform

Comments

DeniseinVA said…
How lovely! You have written a beautiful poem.
brudberg said…
Oh I love collaborations.. this one moves me alot.. the sandpaper stars is a powerful image.. more powerful than soft.. it looked so different from what I have read from you previously so it took a while to see that it was a collab.. still sounds like one voice throughout.
Unknown said…
I find it strange how a lot of us question our very existence and how we got here. We know that we live for only so long, so why not make the best of it right? There is a lot of contrasting words in this that helps portray that sort of friction of thinking. Really beautifully written Susie.
Marian said…
interesting! i'm curious about your collaboration... to me, this reads like one of yours. very beautiful.
Wolfsrosebud said…
enjoyed the emotions you gave bits of nature... i too liked the sandpaper stars
Kerry O'Connor said…
I love the notion of sandpaper stars - very original image.
Gillena Cox said…
nice team up you and Susie

much love...
Hannah said…
Lovely and galactic...love the alliteration and the sapphire universe, too. Beautiful words, Susie. :)
hedgewitch said…
There is a sense of expansion and light to this, and of the order that comes after great disorder--lovely words and pic to match. Your words dance well together,Susie & Ben.
Magaly Guerrero said…
From the dust, we shall rise and shine... if we believe we can... we will.