The Dictionary
Published in
1 min readApr 7, 2016
I’ve been studying you
for a lifetime
and still
you remained
unknowable
I’m sometimes
surprised to feel you
in my body
in the sweep of
the broom on the kitchen floor
or behind my eyes
as I gaze at the world
Perhaps if I could
have released
my grip
on childish absolutes-
how a mother’s love
should feel,
I would have seen
you
more
clearly
I could have
released you
from the illusion,
allowed
you
the full breadth
of who you were;
what you felt
Unlike the dictionary
every word defined
neatly displayed on the page
my tendencies were jumbled in
contradictions
clinging and running away
Hitting my stride
as a writer
ironically
you are no longer
interested in
the words emanating
from
me
though
you loved words
once
and read
the dictionary
regularly
s lynn knight 2016
