I see you
yes, you poet
you who lives
behind the misty veil
dwelling in the border
between this world
and a hundred other
shadow worlds
I see you
I see those ink-stained
fingers
that hold your pen
like a lover
that fly across the keyboard
in a torrent
before stopping, hesitating
waiting
for the flow of words to resume
I see the permanent rings
countless cups of coffee
have left on your writing table
the chip in your favorite mug
I see the frayed fabric
on your cuffs
of your favorite writing shirt
the fabric worn thin at your elbows
I see those mesmerizing eyes
that seem to simultaneously
be looking through me
straight into my soul
while studying the cosmos
and gazing inward
all at the same time
I see the contradictions you are
your eyes are haunting
full of knowing
full of pain
full of longing
I see the dark smudges
under your otherworldly eyes
reminders that poets
are night dwellers
insomnics
who haunt the still hours
who understand the depth
the texture of darkness
who can capture the qualities
the acoustics of silence
I see the way
that words spill out of
your sensuous mouth
like pearls, like diamonds
beautiful treasures
embedded with your tears
your sweat, your blood
yes poet
I see you
you who makes me fall
in love with language
over and over
whose words
stab me in the heart
punch me in the gut
jangle my nerves
bathe me in your radiance
soothe my weary soul
take me on a journey
I didn’t even know
I wanted to go on
and you are beautiful
© 2017 Christine Elizabeth Ray – All Rights Reserved
Brave & Reckless 
That well worth staying in for, Christine… my kind of isolation read.
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Thank you so much Eric! I apparently haven’t shared it in a long time and it was just the piece I wanted to share today.
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Perfect!
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☺️
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Oh, yes, you say it well, how I see the poets, the beautiful ones whose words I look for every day.
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☺️
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Reblogged this on cabbagesandkings524 and commented:
Christine Ray – Seeing Poets
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This entire thing is so hauntingly beautiful. I don’t know if those are the right words for it but wow this piece makes me want to write something. Well done. 😀
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Thank you so much Daffni! I always think that inspiring another writer is the ultimate compliment.
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I hear you Christine, and you read your words superbly…. this stanza resonated with me strongly…
“I see the dark smudges
under your otherworldly eyes
reminders that poets
are night dwellers
insomnics
who haunt the still hours
who understand the depth
the texture of darkness
who can capture the qualities
the acoustics of silence” ……….
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I love your poem. It was well written.
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