Loss curls around him
rubbing against his stubbled cheek
he turns his face to it
and swallows it whole
he feels it circle then settle, heavy
and smooth in his belly
like a stray cat
coming home
inside he is windswept
flapping around the dark pit of absence
bleak as the moors in November
and falling
always falling
This started out as a quadrille (44 words) but I came back to it, fiddled, and added a few more. Now it’s linked to the Imaginary Garden with Real Toads where they are hosting an open forum.
In Other Words 
I love the grounding of this feeling into the body. I carried it to while I read it.
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You present a sad portrait without sentimentality. Such emotions are very relatable.
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I love “Inside he is windswept.” I know that feeling.
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The falling is so sad… the title in your quadrille added a layer that makes me see this one in another light…
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I can relate, a loss makes one feels so vacant inside. Great words
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Thank you, I am both glad and sorry you can relate.
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Haunting..the loss settling in his belly and the windswept emptiness…
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Thank you.
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That “falling” squeezes the insides and threatens to rip them out. The vertigo is so real…
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It is. Thanks Magaly.
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This is a great description of loss. Great imagery.
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Thanks Teresa.
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Great piece,Mary.
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Thank you so much Ayala.
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