Heard the thumps
of something knocked.
 
I don’t own a cat.

How to move
with choirs of fear
purring
through my chest?

Quiet is a slippery knife. 
Breath, a bird
I can’t catch.

 

Lovely, closely observed and reported from the frontline, using original concrete images.

Very immediate, Lynn. Intimate, almost transcendent intimations of death in final lines. All strong stuff. Tom

I really like the three images:
 

choirs of fear
purring

Quiet is a slippery knife

Breath, a bird
I can’t catch.





I believe you have done it again, I won't be forgetting this poem
any time soon.

Sue, Tom, Scott -- thank you!  This comes from some notes I made about three months back.  Living south of the border, I'm almost never afraid --- but this one night, trying to fall asleep, I heard some thud noises and was sure the sound was inside the house.  I was too afraid to get up and look.  Next morning I made notes about that fear.  A week later I found where a sloppy stack of CD's and books had tipped and slid.  Mystery discovered! 

Anyway, I came across my notes today and made some changes.  I'd hoped 'choirs' might resonate as 'gothic' somehow, and 'purring' as 'stealthy' somehow.  The breath and bird line was in my original notes.  Also the bit about not owning a cat. 

p.s. I keep my stacks of CD's and books tidier now.  ;)

short is different for you Lynn.  you do it well.  love the catch of breath in the end.              cheryl

Lovely. The images harmonize without the being linear. Nice work.

larry

Is it too early to pick this? Seems not.

Lynn,

Quiet is a slippery knife. 
Breath, a bird
I can’t catch.

that's so fine, it made me touch myself.

love this.

tiko

Wonderfully caught, and expressed, Lynn.

milner

Guess it pays to make notes about fright!  Thanks, Sue!  You've made my day.

Thanks, Larry.  I'm glad you've found some harmony with the images.  I wanted the thing to have unity, but also a jittery edge.  The way fear makes us start, imagination jump from one heartbeat to the next.  

And just as I started to post this note, Milner and Tiko stopped by -- Thanks, thanks and thanks, you'z guy'z!

Congrats, Lynn! This reminds me of Plath. Tom

you created tension with so few words.
excellent pick and choice for Front Page

congratulations, Lynn!

Stella

Tom and Stella -- thank you!

And Sue, such an honor to find this featured.  Thank YOU!

Really stunning poem.