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PART OF BEING HUMAN by Leslie Caplan

I wrote this poem in one full breath...

I don't think I exhaled until close to the end of it. An acceleration of the world's intensity came over me. I see it coming over people who don't want to feel it, or don't know that's what they're feeling.  Poetry is not just the beautiful or the swaying melancholy of a rainy day.  It for all release, all process. It is alchemical in that it can turn rage, turmoil, constriction into freedom. It is cathartic to speak the unspoken. My lungs drop in and open to take in a deeper breath. My heart unfurls to find love sitting at the center of even the most swirling storm- calm, steady, unwavering and anchored.  



Part of Being Human
by Leslie Caplan
It's part of being human, right?
This crank, twist, lock-up of body,
mind and fucking soul, it's all part of it
So human
all the loss
of youth and love and the drop to knees
that death brings
So human
Can't get more
human than this
aching, nerve-singed kink in left body
while the world is crumbling
tumbling
down
A pile of broken
A heap of holy shits
accelerating intensity
rising like sea levels
like mind attack insanity
of deep dark brooding demons
lashing gnawing
tearing at the door made of skin
made of skin
Whoa...

That was intense
a breathing heaving magnitude of
this whole mess
I sit back
L E A N way back
Let my arms fall to my side
Let the pen hang in midair
and write myself alive and awake
amidst all this death
and sleep
and swirling dreams chaotically clashing
around, above and inside
this weeping tree
this weeping me
this blessed, winged, tattered mess of being
It's part of being, right?
Just Be-ing
So lucky to be breathing
So lucky to be in love with
the same beautiful being and body
for all these years
his, mine, yours,
I love you
Can you feel that?
My love is beautiful
It weaves and thrums and holds steady
anchored solid amidst
these stormy waves of being
ever so bone and blood-filled
human




Leslie Caplan  is a fiercely courageous heart who found her way whole through the alchemy of writing. She is a powerful advocate for writers and uses her skills to guide writers deeper into their stories. A professional editor, writing coach and internationally published writer, Leslie brings it to real with an unwavering passion for authenticity, clarity and fluidity.  She lives in the small town of Ashland, Oregon and you can connect with her on her website here. 

~If you are interested in seeing your poetry appear in this blog, or submitting a poem by a woman that has inspired you, please click here for submission guidelines. I greatly look forward to hearing from you!~ 
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