author’s note:

A poem previously posted on my other blog, then revised and then revised some more.

“A man’s body buried in the snow will eventually come to light.”
                     –  old Chinese proverb
 

YOUR LIGHT

Your light remains
long after you
have left the room–

does that light
even belong to you?
Maybe you were
the carrier, the courier–

the vessel that spilled all
over the place–

who still helps me
spill all over this room–
now I can see

my colors brush the floor,
walls and ceiling.  Now I can see

my mosaic
piece back together–
                         a jumble wild
yet stitched in the seams.

I can no longer see you
except through your light.  Your travels
must have taken you everywhere–
           I can see you everywhere–

in here, as well as
out there–in all the hands, discarded skin,
all the trees, all the sawdust, all the stones, sand,
all phases of the moon–
                                 all those boats
                                 on the river–

yes,
in every step
I take.

I recognize you.

© 2008, Michael R. Patton