The relationship between my family
and the ideal was the same
as a black hole to a star.

We burned out at the centre
yet still we shared
the same dark energy.

Exiles
who could not escape
each other.

We continued to orbit,
even slid by
each other

at regular intervals
avoiding connection
at all cost.


© M.L.Emmett

(For Martin, my brother)

I write your name
on window panes

I clap out its five syllables
for the five fingers of my hand

and the five senses
lost and abandoned

I see deep white snow
and signposts buried in the drifts

I hear the jet black engine
running under my sternum

I touch the mirrored stillness
You still, me still here

I smell the red raw emptiness
bloodied, ***** and free

I taste the green of bitterness
acid etching ulcers in a stomach wall

I trace the ink of your signature
follow each loop and dot of the ‘i’

that ‘i’ Martin
that has been erased forever.

For my brother, Martin

I'm going to sling your memory
over my shoulder
back pack you round the world

slide you on to station platforms
alongside the passing panorama of footsteps
that echo on that slice of cold cement

tuck you into airplane lockers
overhead the sleeping flyers
in that metal coffin in the ice cream clouds

nestle you among bus luggage
beneath the picture windows
and the ribbon racing road

I will unpack you in every village
every town and every city
in every land and nation

on every continent and land mass
crossing the oceans and seas
catching every wave and tide

circling the earth on winds and breezes
following sunsets and solar eclipses
and every cycle of the moon

until I find a place of resting
until I find a place of peace
until I find a place of peace

© M.L.Emmett

The day you almost died
Was the worst day of my life
I honestly couldn't imagine
if you were no longer my wife

I saw you lying there
Looking so frail and weak
I leaned over your bed
And kissed you on your cheek

The problem was in your lung
Caused by a blood clot
On the other one
There was a little spot

The news was overwhelming
I honestly must say
I fell onto my knees
And I started to pray

I walked into our house
And you were not there
Sat down on our bed
At your picture I did stare

Put my head on your pillow
Eyes started to well
The lingering scent of you
What a wonderful smell

For a couple of days
It was touch and go
I'd be lost without you
This you had to know

After a risky procedure
And medicine you did take
Along with some help from the Lord
The clot it did break

With a new lease on life
A precious second chance
I will shower you with love
and fill your life with romance

This feeling...
Heavy...
Like a wreath bearing down my neck.
Every fibre in me seem to be at loggerheads.

My heart...
Pounding.
Each beat is a hammer
sledging away at my saneness.

My breaths...
Premature and short.
Inconsistent.
I respire full but with punctured lungs.