Haven
I carried places in my arms
that no one else could see.
In other people's words, I found
some room for being me.
My dictionary on my knees,
thesaurus close at hand.
I had so much I couldn't name,
but longed to understand.
One word would lead me to the next,
then something new would call.
I'd only meant to learn one thing
and stayed to learn them all.
I tried new words upon my tongue
and spoke each one alone,
repeating unfamiliar sounds
until they felt my own.
A patient page would find me
when I was feeling low.
I didn't have to hide from it
how much I didn't know.
But house and home, those simple words,
weren't quite the same to me.
One had a roof, a lock, a door;
one let me simply be.
I lingered over one word: safe,
and read its meaning through.
So few words needed to explain
a life I hardly knew.
The pages did not stop the sounds
that traveled through the wall.
Some nights I read one sentence twice
but understood nothing at all.
I kept one finger on the page
when I could not go on.
And when I found my place again
the words were never gone.
In time, I took an empty page
and gave it just a part
of what I hadn't learned to say
but knew so well by heart.
Those words became a sheltered place
where I was free to be.
The girl who found a haven there
still has a home in me.
Post Comments
Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.
Please
Login
to post a comment
Turn off ads, get more exposure for your poetry, and get more features with a
Premium Membership.
