sum of me

i can give you
     some of me

but that’s not 
what 
     you
          asked

we spoke in reverent tones
   skin too flushed
                to be hushed
   we read each other
                      lingered   
                      reveled
                      tasted
    each verse...

 we consumed

and when appetites
were fed
or at least temporarily
sated
          the question hung  

     how much of me
     could you
     have

you can have some
          not all

there was a time, once
statements were made
temptingly impetuous
(defiantly honest)
                    the solution was obvious
                    some day
                    i would certainly give all
                    of me

today i stand apart
from that me

                     i’ve watched him
                    these the many years
                    ...never knowing

you can have some of me
not all
               for the sum
               of me
has to include
               pieces of you
   ...for me to be
          whole
i cannot give all

there must be some
     of me
                    to take
                              from you

Reviews

[emmajoy]

Tis a fear that stops one giving everything .. or a hurt .. or pain .. or insecurity or .. a million and one things.. until that one day you find the answer to your own riddle. Indecision diluted, evaporated.

Your writing so often makes me think further than mere words, you write, '.. .. when appetites ~ were fed ~ or at least temporarily ~ satiated ~ the question hung .. .. ' and therein lies the wait for an answer.

[ChemicalMadness]

Thanks, Em. I always come away from your reviews with something to think about..... So happy to see you stopped in!

[Corset]

I hear the lyrics "go on take everything, take everything, I want you to" and that includes pieces of you, how brilliant is this! I love the concept and how true is that concept, we are the "some" of the people who shaped our lives by being in them, a poet gave all in this incredible offering. loved it CM!

[Ghost of Jupiter]

Wonderful write here CM...I understand that feeling of not being able to give a person all of yourself, especially when you are not getting anything in return. Although I feel, that sometimes we have to be open to receive the same openness from those who seek to really know us at our deepest level. Just a meandering thought... as always fantastic work.

[Angi]

There has to be a give and take here. There has to be. This piece speaks of someone who has guards around their heart. Watching himself for all those years has taught him a hard lesson. The last lines are so good. I actually picture the trading of puzzle pieces when I read those words. Love this work, CM. Angi~

[icelandicblue]

This is fabulous. There must always be a balance:

you can have some of me

not all

for the sum

of me

has to include

pieces of you

and for me to be

whole

i cannot give all



there must be some

of me

to take

from you

Both beautiful and wise.

[Dana Alsamsam]

"and when appetites
were fed
or at least temporarily
satiated"
these lines are incredibly powerful, and make me think about the difference between love and lust.

giving all of oneself to someone is the biggest gift and the greatest sacrifice that anyone can make. this piece had a vulnerable fear to it hugged with syllables of an insatiable romance. the concept revealed at the end about the fact that in order to be whole, you must have parts of your lover is incredibly powerful as is the play on words with "sum" and "some"

lovely work!

[Marie Anzalone]

This feels like as close a description of sacred love as I have ever read. I fele like I am imposing on a most perosnal space, a Universal truth held in measured breaths as I read your words. You are so right. We can not ever completely give ourselves to another, yet we mistakenly go into it thinking we can. Maybe it is just that thinking that makes the experience so profound.

Agreed with Ken. This is High Art. Dear, dear Poet.

[J_Star]

Holy hell. This is built on a platform of brilliance. It's like that tiny little twist in your favorite song, the one no one else seems to hear but you. The one that makes it whole and real.

Really, *really* good poem.

[Robbie~xoxo~]

I feel this CM... deeply...

There has to be a give and take, and sometimes, even the giving is not enough...
You can only be sated for so long...words evaporate and what you have left are fragmented pieces of each other.... not enough... (sigh)

But isn't that what poetry is all about?.. being consumed?...and hungry for more?

I'd rather have the sum, than none at all....

A Breathtaking work in progress.~xoxo~:)

[ChemicalMadness]

Thank you so much...I agree....there has to be such balance before anything daring can be attempted ;)

[Ken Simm.]

has to include pieces of you........ This I believe but couldn't write as well as this. High Art this is.

[ChemicalMadness]

Whenever I want to ensure a smile, I read either one of your pieces or one of your reviews. Thank you, my friend.