Day 28 of 30 Days of The Five-Two features "Mortal Terror" by Sarah Stockton.
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Showing posts with label Sarah Stockton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sarah Stockton. Show all posts
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Monday, August 17, 2015
Sarah Stockton
MORTAL TERROR
I would share that last meal with you, even tear
open the ketchup packets with my teeth—
although if I help you they might accuse us
of a shared bond, of being blood sworn.
Our mutual terror of death is an arterial thread
connecting your mortal sins to my lesser grievances,
pulling me along with you on that last solemn procession
to the room down the hall with the gurney straps
and the winding sheet.
The cloudy vials of mortal sleep
deemed too unreliable for a quick death
have given you another chance—
to eat, to drink, to break
bread and add some salt but so help me God,
I'm not hungry. Let me out
of here, tear this vein
from the chamber of my bleeding heart.
Sarah reads "Mortal Terror":
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Sarah confesses: "I wrote this poem in response to the continuing controversy and legal battles over the use of death penalty in general, and the use of lethal injections in particular."
SARAH STOCKTON is a teacher, author, and poet. In her poetry, Sarah explores the themes of memory, illness, family, the nature of faith, and trauma and recovery. Visit her website, http://sarahstockton.com/.
I would share that last meal with you, even tear
open the ketchup packets with my teeth—
although if I help you they might accuse us
of a shared bond, of being blood sworn.
Our mutual terror of death is an arterial thread
connecting your mortal sins to my lesser grievances,
pulling me along with you on that last solemn procession
to the room down the hall with the gurney straps
and the winding sheet.
The cloudy vials of mortal sleep
deemed too unreliable for a quick death
have given you another chance—
to eat, to drink, to break
bread and add some salt but so help me God,
I'm not hungry. Let me out
of here, tear this vein
from the chamber of my bleeding heart.
Sarah reads "Mortal Terror":
Subscribe to Channel Five-Two for first view of new videos.
Sarah confesses: "I wrote this poem in response to the continuing controversy and legal battles over the use of death penalty in general, and the use of lethal injections in particular."
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Day 22: Sarah Stockton
5-2 contributor and volunteer performer Sarah Stockton explores how poets can bear witness to crimes against nature on Day 22 of 30 Days of The 5-2, Earth Day.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Sarah Stockton
THE RESTRAINING ORDER
We wait outside the courtroom
for the judge to rule in my favor
or against.
I can hardly stand
so we sit, on a wooden bench polished with stolen diapers,
sticky with the oil of cars repossessed and
imprinted with the sweat and salt
of countless bankrupt hands.
You break open the smuggled bag of chips and feed your teddy bear,
Before time runs out and we're caught.
I check the back exits
in case he shows up, and hope the guard with the bad hip
knows how to use a gun.
Suspended in this anteroom of linoleum and dust, bound
together in our distress,
We are granted a temporary reprieve.
I lean against your innocence.
Sarah reads "The Restraining Order":
Subscribe to Channel Five-Two for first view of new videos.
Sarah confesses: "After a long detour away, I recently started writing poetry again. I've purposely focused on the present in my poems, yet an intense memory of waiting on a bench outside a courtroom kept intruding. I finally decided I needed to explore that distant yet still-vivid memory and all that it encompassed. 'The Restraining Order' is my first-ever published poem, reminding me once again that good things often arise out of difficult circumstances."
SARAH STOCKTON is a published author and teacher, with training and work experience in spiritual direction, alcohol and drug counseling, and creativity coaching. She curates the website poetinmyheart.tumblr.com.
We wait outside the courtroom
for the judge to rule in my favor
or against.
I can hardly stand
so we sit, on a wooden bench polished with stolen diapers,
sticky with the oil of cars repossessed and
imprinted with the sweat and salt
of countless bankrupt hands.
You break open the smuggled bag of chips and feed your teddy bear,
Before time runs out and we're caught.
I check the back exits
in case he shows up, and hope the guard with the bad hip
knows how to use a gun.
Suspended in this anteroom of linoleum and dust, bound
together in our distress,
We are granted a temporary reprieve.
I lean against your innocence.
Sarah reads "The Restraining Order":
Subscribe to Channel Five-Two for first view of new videos.
Sarah confesses: "After a long detour away, I recently started writing poetry again. I've purposely focused on the present in my poems, yet an intense memory of waiting on a bench outside a courtroom kept intruding. I finally decided I needed to explore that distant yet still-vivid memory and all that it encompassed. 'The Restraining Order' is my first-ever published poem, reminding me once again that good things often arise out of difficult circumstances."
SARAH STOCKTON is a published author and teacher, with training and work experience in spiritual direction, alcohol and drug counseling, and creativity coaching. She curates the website poetinmyheart.tumblr.com.
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