Monday, April 21, 2008

Michael Ondaatje's "Bearhug"

Bearhug

Griffin calls to come and kiss him goodnight
I yell ok. Finish something I'm doing,
then something else, walk slowly round
the corner to my son's room.
He is standing arms outstretched
waiting fir a bearhug. Grinning.


Why do I give my emotion an animal's name,
give it that dark squeeze of death?
This is the hug which collects
all his small bones and his warm neck against me.
The thin tough body under the pyjamas
locks me like a magnet of blood.


How long was he standing there
like that, before I came?



Photo by clarabow1

2 comments:

Allie said...

I loved this.

Barb said...

Well Jan I have been tagged and now need to do the tagging... so Tag you are it!! LOL... hope you don't mind.. if you don't want to play along thats ok

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