Breath & Shadow
2004 - Vol. 1, Issue 7
Two Poems
written by
Chaya Grossberg
"Truths"
I was sick for a month
and once I stepped outside again,
the month became a romantic period.
Rain had turned white and gotten thick.
Truths had turned white and gotten thick.
New precipitation.
"Were There Diamonds"
I imagined when things got well, people
would want to know about my journey.
I imagined they'd want to know, Were there rocks?
Were there diamonds?
They'd want to know how I slept on the slants of hills.
I wondered if I'd have the courage to say, All I have
in my pockets is quiet,
and open my hand to their ear, to their footsteps.
I wondered if they'd want to eat chocolate with me,
and dance.
They wouldn't know what these things mean to me.
It seemed if I stepped on a rock, got a degree
in diamonds,
I must hold their weight strong in my ear,
in my footsteps.
The world is full of brown and retreat, purple
and history, clear and mystery.
It's been called a wrestle.
And wonderful.
I stopped waiting.
I stopped watching.
I wrinkled at the wonders,
which has been called a withdrawal.
I called it a wrap, a wash.
Chaya Grossberg has recently received a grant from the Western Massachusetts Training Consortium to self-publish her story and poetry. She is recovering from mental and physical disabilities and has been published in several journals, including Ibbetson Street, the Storyteller, Soul Fountain, and Byline. Her poetry can be read online at Red Booth Review, Unlikely Stories, and Lummox. Her new book L'CHAYA! TO LIFE! Return from psychiatry to unlimited faith and health. can be found at http://www.geocities.com/ngrossberg/chaya.