Sanctuary

[PrinceMyshkin]

I run, from sanctuary
to sanctuary - the cafe,
my home. It is the in-between
places, life, that threatens.

Even in my dinged-up old car
I'm not safe.
The 8 or 10 blocks between
each sanctuary contain a myriad
of opportunities to go wrong.

Once, racing an amber light,
on a rain-washed street,
I braked, hard, to avoid a young man
crossing, but hit him anyway.

He slid halfway up the hood, limbs
every which way, then fell back
on to the street... but I could,
instead, have been seized
by the apparition of some alien God.

[Pendragon]

It is the in-between
places, life, that threatens.



Can totally relate to these lines, they speak volumns

[motherhubbard]

I run, from sanctuary
to sanctuary - the cafe,
my home. It is the in-between
places, life, that threatens.

Even in my dinged-up old car
I'm not safe.
The 8 or 10 blocks between
each sanctuary contain a myriad
of opportunities to go wrong.

...but I could,
instead, have been seized
by the apparition of some alien God.


All of this could be about me. :)

I relate to the beginning, and am stopped in my tracks by the ending

[Virgil]

It's an outstanding poem. I too can relate. I just hope the accident was not real.

[PrinceMyshkin]

It's an outstanding poem. I too can relate. I just hope the accident was not real.

Alas, the accident WAS real. The guy was not badly hurt and I offered to drive him wherever he was going but he declined. I am haunted by the memory of this every time I cross that intersection, which is on my usual route from cafe to home. I am a congenitally impatient person and have been trying to modify my driving habits. At very least I can proclaim that I do not have a cell-phone, do not drive and text or apply my make-up while driving nor, as I heard reference to one offender, do I eat Chinese food with chopsticks while driving.

[Note to anyone else who happens to read this: have a look at some magnificent, soulful photos on Virgil's blog]

[DanielBenoit]

Great poem! Like everyone else, I totally relate to this. And even though it was based on a real life event, I find the final stanza to be immensely intriguing.

[~Sophia~]

Being somewhat of a gypsy and risk taker (always looking for the next adventure) I find I don't really relate but, I can understand and do appreciate how the scene would haunt you each time you come to that crossroad! Good poem!

[cogs]

hmmm... apparition, haunt... sounds like another perspective. in narrow spaces, the odds are greater for wrecks. the dice were already loaded. oooo, spooky loaded dice.

[Virgil]

Alas, the accident WAS real. The guy was not badly hurt and I offered to drive him wherever he was going but he declined. I am haunted by the memory of this every time I cross that intersection, which is on my usual route from cafe to home. I am a congenitally impatient person and have been trying to modify my driving habits. At very least I can proclaim that I do not have a cell-phone, do not drive and text or apply my make-up while driving nor, as I heard reference to one offender, do I eat Chinese food with chopsticks while driving.

[Note to anyone else who happens to read this: have a look at some magnificent, soulful photos on Virgil's blog]

Thanks Prince on promoting my blog. :) And thank goodness that man was not badly hurt. It would have rattled me too.

[Buh4Bee]

Nice poem! I'm glad no one was hurt. As I walk around pregnant, I am more fearful of falling and killing the baby. Nothing has happened, but life can end unexpectedly!

It can be scary on those hills in Montreal, especially when its wet. One time I was turning through a busy intersection and I almost hit someone. They were walking when they shouldn't have and I think I flipped them off as a knee jerk reaction. No, not the appropriate thing to do

[Silas Thorne]

This is a very interesting and meaningful poem, and I really like the last two stanzas. I think that last stanza is particularly powerful, and I was particularly surprised by the 'apparation of the alien God' lines. They shocked me in conjunction with the accident. I do though find the sound of the first two stanzas a bit stop-starty and clipped off, particularly the last three lines of the second stanza . Might just be me though.

[PrinceMyshkin]

Nice poem! I'm glad no one was hurt. As I walk around pregnant, I am more fearful of falling and killing the baby. Nothing has happened, but life can end unexpectedly!

It can be scary on those hills in Montreal, especially when its wet. One time I was turning through a busy intersection and I almost hit someone. They were walking when they shouldn't have and I think I flipped them off as a knee jerk reaction. No, not the appropriate thing to do

In contrast with the many of us who walk around pregnant with potential new poems, you're carrying the real thing! Is it your first, I wonder? How much that prospects enlivens (pun intended!) our board. If only I knew what month you are in I'd be trying to spot your particular 'bump'.

Best wishes!