Daughter of the Delicate

This excerpt was taken from a long form poem inspired by Genesis 34.

*Spoken In the voice of Dinah

In a dream, I follow a path of stones.

I want to find where the sunset folds

and languages collide like colors 

to make white.

Somehow there

everyone understands everyone.

Mothers understand sons

and fathers understand daughters

and sisters understand sisters

just like music 

when the melody makes people feel

the same sadness or joy

even if no one knows the words.

There what you feel 

might be nerves 

or grass at your feet 

or the beginnings of tears 

too scared to flow.  

In this place,

you realize how alive you are

being separate from your body.  

You feel the weight 

of two breaths: 

one being the lips flowing as you think, 

and two the mind that sends them words.

But there you can’t speak.  

At some point, 

the two breaths meet

and gather like a waterfall. 

You feel it will be too much, 

but you have no choice.

Everything flows like veins 

after running down a street

or falling in a field

because there—

with everyone

father, mother, sister, and sons

all standing around in silence

waiting—

there you look up at the faces

and know of nowhere else to go.