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hereways, the island’s by-ways


hereways, the island’s by-ways

Phu Quoc, vietnam

are cut at the skirting edge of 

land and sea.


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it’s sandful, this land

but the sea is custard-grey +

perilous, curt and cut waves 

and i arrive to the edges of

ends


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that which is tucked + pulled

reveal old maps + glory-dead 

identities which are connected to 

the arbor of goddess, a nebulous 

and white-hot anchor, an electric pulse


pull it up by its roots, it will

sing and

heal the whole garden


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i kiss a local man 

but his tongue darts at me like

slippery-black fish, in a sea

a sort of lazy disgust comes over me

too much, that reminds me of my ex


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i feel like I’m in limbo, here

limbs and lame


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though my old injury is mostly healed,

i capitulate safely

eat clean food i feel numb

and even riding my motorbike is lacking

in joy.


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shelley whom i miss writes down below

neglected selves vy for knowing

attention, saying this is not enough

for you,


i wish i had a real mountain man,

like morgan, or sara or kim,

to weather the storms with

who did not demand of me anything

excepting honesty and alignment 

loyalty to my very own soul


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the quiet god within

comes alive, quietly.

a sheila-na-gig for eyes,

a fishful mouth and belly,

above-the-ground

It is raining and i am alive


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i stay with the quiet god

Instead 


a black toad, a bearded thing

that turns into a man 

under the moon 

and makes love to me

in the rain


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Naming or symbolizing emotions is the first step in regulating them. With words and symbols, the need to act out the emotion destructively diminishes. Attaching words, imagery, or symbols to what you are really feeling inside helps you get a handle on it. Being able to describe your emotions creatively will help you to heal depression. 



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within that field, too, is self-forgiveness

and the natural hues of natural emotions,

and a flesh-alive magic that connects me

to the very ground of my being

that says, this too, is good.


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let it fall apart,

like an old tapestry whose

wefted threads are going back-to-ground

let it fall,

like an old painting that is a mirror

underneath,

wreathed by stars on a crown

a winter-january wonder


the quiet god within

comes alive, quietly.


Katherine Grasso