Longing, or Belonging

Poetry Partners #78

‘ALL Belong’, a poem by Anna Smit of ‘Shalom Aleh’

They turned
And looked
At me fierce

"Go home
Where you
Came from"

They shouted.

Tears
Became my
Playground lot

I thought
I belonged
But came up

Short.

Finally
I cried
Now I be-

Long.

But no!
Accents
Set us apart

A stranger
Among
My own now

I thought
I belonged
But came up

Short.

But then
I turned
To look at

You

Not alone
Not at all
Rejected

But chosen
To love
Each other

Reach

Out
To the
One

And know
We are
Set apart to

Open

Our heart
See and
Believe: ALL

Belong.

Anna Smit: https://shalomaleh.com/

A sestina by ben Alexander of ‘The Skeptic’s Kaddish’

In the form of six shadormas and a kimo

We belong
together; open
your heart; reach
out and you
shall find the in-between short,
as the days are long.

We so long
to simply belong,
our lives short,
but open
to opportunity; you
need but try to reach.

As you reach
for those that you long
for most, you
can belong
in those moments, heart open,
even be they short.

Long truth short,
belonging's in reach,
quite open
in the long
run; we, each of us, belong,
and that includes you.

It's all you,
even if life's short...
you belong.
All's in reach -
all that you have ever longed
for; just stay open.

Come, open
the door to joy; you
know you long
to, and short
mortal lifespans need not reach
beyond to belong.

You more than likely grasp the long and short
of this; put fear aside, reach
out, be open... Belong.

Let’s write poetry together!

When it comes to partnership, some humans can make their lives alone – it’s possible. But creatively, it’s more like painting: you can’t just use the same colours in every painting. It’s just not an option. You can’t take the same photograph every time and live with art forms with no differences.
–Ben Harper (b. 1969)

Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!

List of Poetry Partners

27 thoughts on “Longing, or Belonging”

So very poignant! heartfelt longing to belong.

ben Alexander April 26, 202202:04 Reply

💗 Ruth 💗

Lovely exchange between you two poets. Words to ponder. 👏🏻

ben Alexander April 25, 202217:10 Reply

💙🙃 thanks, Janis 🙃💙

🙂you can belong in those moments, heart open, even be they short.🙂

This is quite a terrifyong space to be in, also difficult to bathe in those short heart opened moments, and then to navigate your way out of those momentarily feelings of warmth and maybe acceptnce; complicated since you don’t really belong in the full sense of the word, to return to where you come from, where you long to go and told you dont belong.

Both poets did a wonderful work, reaching out to ponder the ambivalent nature of be – longing…

ben Alexander April 25, 202215:06 Reply

😘🤗 Abi 😘🤗
1. abvr April 25, 202215:25 Reply
  
  Yes, appreciate the hug and the kiss. Thank you David♥♥