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Once Upon a Semester


I am in the glass store; the small storefront
near the yoga studio and the eye doctor and...
well, the gift store closed last month.

I walked past the blank darkness earlier.

It reminded me of sleeping and waking,
a city beneath me, then swirling down into it,
my eyes young enough to see every glint.

Sleeping and waking into the university city;
now my hair is wilder, wispier, and the dark glass
shows a parking lot, a road, dust patterns.

This familiar emptiness fills glass, this broad sky
in which I've been sleeping and waking allows
for breathing, when I'm already city-filled.

Sharing with The Sunday Muse #168. 

-- Chrissa

Comments

  1. qbitJuly 11, 2021 at 7:24 AM

    Oh wow. I loved this, so good. And the last lines -- the emptiness giving you room to breathe. Unexpected and both tragic and wonderful. The holes in the world dark yet permitting light.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Carrie Van HornJuly 11, 2021 at 8:33 AM

    I second what Qbit said. The broad span of time perspective shown is brilliant! An amazing poem my friend!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. HelenJuly 11, 2021 at 9:41 AM

    Familiar emptiness .... brilliant.

    ReplyDelete
  4. FireblossomJuly 11, 2021 at 10:06 AM

    Really fine poetry, Chrissa. One of my favorites of yours for sure.

    I couldn't help but flash on this song:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJb__Uczlos

    ReplyDelete
  5. indybevJuly 11, 2021 at 10:34 AM

    :City-filled". Described me so often in my working life; happy now to live on the fringes!

    ReplyDelete
  6. SunitaJuly 11, 2021 at 11:31 AM

    That's brilliant! The way you captured the feel of the city life ...awesome poem, Chrissa!

    ReplyDelete
  7. ms_liliJuly 11, 2021 at 11:31 AM

    The city becomes a part of who you are when you live there. Good description of it, Chrissa.

    ReplyDelete
  8. JimJuly 11, 2021 at 6:03 PM

    I hate to see all of the closed businesses and hear of the evictions of those not able to have a home because of low savings. We shopped at the 99 Cent Store after church for a few minutes and coming out I notice that one of the shops nearby had closed. Every now and then we ate at Luby's or Fudrucker's but ours close by is closed. There are others which were bought out and have stayed open.
    ..

    ReplyDelete
  9. Phoenix RetributionJuly 12, 2021 at 1:16 PM

    Reminiscent of the now that we live in, beautifully written.

    ReplyDelete
  10. JinksyJuly 13, 2021 at 8:26 AM

    ' City filled' - what a great way to explain a townies life. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Susie ClevengerJuly 14, 2021 at 2:19 PM

    Love this glass eye into the city

    ReplyDelete
  12. purplepeninportland.comJuly 14, 2021 at 5:57 PM

    "already city-filled"

    Great line, Chrissa. I love the use of glass in this.

    ReplyDelete

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