loneliness (what the monk said)

in the night garden, a bird
is calling.
my pulse sifts
in and out of my ears. it is not enough.
if there were coyotes here they would cry
and it would not be enough to keep me
from running

toward the far off light in a stranger’s house,
if there was one to see; where
if i pounded on the door, i would surely be
rejected, falling to the stoop
smelling of jasmine and
flop sweat: beauty tinged
with despair.

i once hoped for this
solitude, but am losing faith
in its value: if i am this alone,
how will i recognize the presence
of truth? i may become too eager
to accept anything
that might speak to me,
simply to escape the empty sound of
no voice at all.

a still, small voice, they said.
they put me here and told me there were ways
to find god in the silence. listen for the still,
small voice.

i am listening and all i hear is my own.

art isn’t worth it. god isn’t
worth it. nothing is enough
except the fullness of
another person — woman, man —

nearby.

i am trying to remember that language
is an exchange.

About Tony Brown

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A poet with a history in slam, lots of publications; my personal poetry and a little bit of daily life and opinions. Read the page called "About..." for the details. View all posts by Tony Brown

15 responses to “loneliness (what the monk said)

  • marced4life

    “i just want to remember that language
    is an exchange.”

    Words so many poets could stand to live by, you know?

  • marced4life

    “i just want to remember that language
    is an exchange.”

    Words so many poets could stand to live by, you know?

  • marced4life

    “i just want to remember that language
    is an exchange.”

    Words so many poets could stand to live by, you know?

  • marced4life

    “i just want to remember that language
    is an exchange.”

    Words so many poets could stand to live by, you know?

  • marced4life

    “i just want to remember that language
    is an exchange.”

    Words so many poets could stand to live by, you know?

  • radioactiveart

    No…it’s been used in a number of contexts by a number of different writers to express different things. I mean it here to evoke the connection to the divine supposedly reached through a silent meditation.

  • radioactiveart

    No…it’s been used in a number of contexts by a number of different writers to express different things. I mean it here to evoke the connection to the divine supposedly reached through a silent meditation.

  • radioactiveart

    No…it’s been used in a number of contexts by a number of different writers to express different things. I mean it here to evoke the connection to the divine supposedly reached through a silent meditation.

  • radioactiveart

    No…it’s been used in a number of contexts by a number of different writers to express different things. I mean it here to evoke the connection to the divine supposedly reached through a silent meditation.

  • radioactiveart

    No…it’s been used in a number of contexts by a number of different writers to express different things. I mean it here to evoke the connection to the divine supposedly reached through a silent meditation.

  • rainbows27

    Beautiful “dialogue” with the self. I also love the line breaks, particularly “in the night garden, some bird/is calling. it”

    “Still, small voice” Dillon Thomas uses in “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” (using it to go from spooky to hilarious). Is this a standard expression?

    Job interview in 50 minutes. Think I’ll read a while.

    Mel

  • rainbows27

    Beautiful “dialogue” with the self. I also love the line breaks, particularly “in the night garden, some bird/is calling. it”

    “Still, small voice” Dillon Thomas uses in “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” (using it to go from spooky to hilarious). Is this a standard expression?

    Job interview in 50 minutes. Think I’ll read a while.

    Mel

  • rainbows27

    Beautiful “dialogue” with the self. I also love the line breaks, particularly “in the night garden, some bird/is calling. it”

    “Still, small voice” Dillon Thomas uses in “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” (using it to go from spooky to hilarious). Is this a standard expression?

    Job interview in 50 minutes. Think I’ll read a while.

    Mel

  • rainbows27

    Beautiful “dialogue” with the self. I also love the line breaks, particularly “in the night garden, some bird/is calling. it”

    “Still, small voice” Dillon Thomas uses in “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” (using it to go from spooky to hilarious). Is this a standard expression?

    Job interview in 50 minutes. Think I’ll read a while.

    Mel

  • rainbows27

    Beautiful “dialogue” with the self. I also love the line breaks, particularly “in the night garden, some bird/is calling. it”

    “Still, small voice” Dillon Thomas uses in “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” (using it to go from spooky to hilarious). Is this a standard expression?

    Job interview in 50 minutes. Think I’ll read a while.

    Mel

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