I told him it would be epic...
I told him it would be epic
So to this standard I must now hold
My language hasn’t been quite septic
And there’s much of a tale to be told.
And so I pour out to you, friends
A brief history
A synopsis of exaggerated lordosis.
My structure broken but not bent;
Rhymes are sent and spent
Like dimes and nickels
And the thought tickles
Me when I see that it’s entirely without fail
That I’ve snailed the approach to finding love in human breath.
And it’s because she told me that she would rape me;
Her words were not taken into my heart.
When the daybreak fell upon me, though;
I could not remember taking a start
To anything
My life became a series
Of microsecond memories
Guilt ensued because imbued
Were actions born out of a crime.
This touch imposed upon me
Was an ugly stain upon my soul.
I tried to mask the difference, though
I’ve always grasped to maintain the whole.
My trust turns to confusion
And confusion turns to rust
Humans now escaped my grasp
Because I was their dingy, chewed-up toy
I could no longer take to task
Because there was no love left to employ.
How can you pick up the pieces of a completely misguided start?
It’s not a rhyme so easily solved
Because these mysteries of our hearts
Are complex and intricately involved.
So I put my best foot forward with moisture streaming from my eye
And I told my life to take a seat while I figured out the why.
Then one day in my travels it suddenly dawned on me
That the best approach to dissolving hate
Wasn’t to be found where pain congregates.
To take a step, take a breath, take a chance
And learn to dance again on the stage I’m playing
No longer contemplating
The anger left in my mind
And twisting fibers which began to unwind
Which then led me to find
A clearer picture for where my feet would take me.
When my father’s shoulder ripped apart
I couldn’t understand the start
Of a journey that would lead to see
Me sitting here describing most emphatically
Why massage is so important to be.
It’s because babies laugh and babies cry
But without its mothers touch
Your child’s starry eyes will shrivel up and die.
We feel cozy in our beds, wrapped 'neath a warm layer of sheets
We feel fright when we’ve lost sight
But a touch can stop us in our tracks
And remind us we’re not alone.
Atoning for our sins while we clutch someone’s hair
Their hands remind us gently that while life is not fair
Someone will be there for us,
They’ll look upon our day,
And without words,
Tell us everything will be OK.
I’ve had a woman’s sadness empty from her soul
Lying on my table because she did not know;
She had all but forgotten what a loving touch could be
And I gave her a happiness that I had forgotten exists within me.
Her struggles were temporarily a bridge between two worlds;
She couldn’t love her husband in the ways that she had grown;
Because her legs wouldn’t function the way that she had known.
And you should have seen the way her smiles still unfurled!
The darkness of that booth was lit up like a star
In a bright night’s wonder
In a bright night’s flight.
In a bright night’s galaxy so near and simultaneously so far.
Because we cared enough to be there.
We cared enough to dare
To be better than we once were
By stepping foot into the lair.
Some of us have battled demons that take us out of sight.
Some of us have endured loss that no human should ever bear.
And yet here we sit despite the possibilities
And gave ourselves the opportunity to not succumb to the ever-present night.
Your hands translate something mystical between our skin
The journey’s just begun, some of us don’t even know where to begin.
So I’d ask that you reflect back upon what this year’s tuition has bought.
There can never be a price tag large enough for connections we have wrought.
And I pen this poetry with a kitten in my lap
Who reaches out with claw intact
And asks for my loving touch.
Her marble eyes slowly shut and I wonder what she sees
I wonder what her cat brain feels when I scratch her gently over my knees.
And I wonder what my client’s thoughts are running through their mind
As they sign into a bond of trust
Sign into the journey thus
Of the endless chambers of human hearts.
Anatomy teaches us there are four
But I promise you there exist more
They cannot be drawn
Cannot be sewn
They cannot be taken from a box
Cannot be hidden behind locks.
Connection is what drives us forward, it’s what drives us to collectively
Enter daily bargains to affect each other temporarily.
When you cross that final stage and open yet another door
How miraculous will your hands be?
How much care can you see
In your own heart?
You’re here for a reason.
You’re here because of a choice.
You’ve made it into oblivion
And now you have a voice.
Speak proudly of your wisdom;
Speak proudly and not in vain;
It doesn’t take much contemplation
To realize what you’ve gained.
You have the power to change lives
Because connection is all we have.
You possess the fortitude
To go give everything you’ve ever had.
Pay it forward, God shines on you bright
Karma paid back in full
There are many reasons for why you enrolled in this school.
I knew that I would cry in here because of the traumas of my past.
I walked into that wisdom because the pain could no longer last.
You’ve each brought a piece of my humanity
And restored it to its rightful place
And thankfully I’ve found the grace
To say thank you.
So while you may wonder what your client’s mind has in store
I can quite proudly tell you
That you’ve already healed me and more.
I didn’t feel it necessary to shout this from the skies
So I tried the best that I knew, I smile from my eyes.
Your touch did not harm me;
Your hands were not full of rage.
You taught me how to trust again;
How to silently engage.
I’ve connected back to my Self and my roots are ever strong.
I’ve realigned my chakras,
I’ve summoned up my Chi,
Hell, I’ve even drawn my liver pistols
Because, come on, that’s hilarity!
I’ve fallen apart in madness
Because hatred is allied strong
To a host of drama I never wanted to belong
Thank you classmates, thank you humans
Thank you teachers too.
I’ve been blessed and touched by each and every one of you.
I wish the best to everyone
Because it’s simply what must be.
From the 4 chambers or more of my heart,
You’ve given me the greatest start
To a world I never thought I’d see.
~Christopher Loflin
December 13th, 2013
I wrote this when I graduated from LMT school. :) No title.
