MELODIES I NEVER HEARD by Shannon K. Lockhart

This poem came to me after a day of drawing and meditating on the writings of other women, for we women are so influential upon each other…

I had recently taken a journaling workshop and it was a good way for me to move beyond simple stream of conscious writing and step into the challenge of focusing my writings in different ways. It also gave me ample opportunities to read and reflect on the words of other participants. The whole workshop opened up new layers and new dialogues within myself and as I reflected on the power of our words, this poem appeared. Words get inside me, and my reactions are visceral, I can feel my whole-self focus in on them, and good things happen when I am not afraid to follow where those words lead.

Original artwork by the author Shannon K. Lockhart

"melodies i never heard"

 by Shannon K. Lockhart

your words sing

the melodies

i never heard as a child

they swaddle my

soul and awaken in me

a nostalgia for

time that never existed

but should have

your prose is warm toast

and fresh cut grass

the sounds of

chittering birds

and the swelling drone of

cicadas on a summer night

the words swirl

through my veins

and i rub them into

my skin to make it softer

each poem is a dance

through the fragrance

of a spring drizzle

and warm cinnamon tea

drizzled with honey

that soothes my own

hoarse voice

i savor the words

and use them for

a pillow, cushioning

my dreamtime

voyages into being

this dance becomes me

the melodies transform me

and my gratitude

shapes me into a

bird taking flight

Shannon K. Lockhart is a social worker, human rights activist, and teacher who has recently embarked on her newest journey as an artist and poet. She is a native Louisvillian, but has spent most of her adult life living in Chicago and Central America. Shannon spent 12 years working with indigenous communities, genocide survivors, and other human rights activists in Guatemala before returning to the U.S. with her family. Her greatest source of pride is her family, and she works hard to be a mother who imparts joy, gratitude, and respect for the unexpected bumps along the road. Shannon has published her poetry online with Rebelle Society and in DoveTales, a print journal published by the group, Writing for Peace. She can frequently be found drumming in parks with her family, drawing, or reading her poetry at the Urban Goatwalker Coffeehouse in the Phoenix Hill neighborhood.

~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!~