The Name
by Bruce Whealton
His name is like
an incantation,
a magic spell,
so afraid I am
to even say it.
No, it is a curse
and something profane
all the same...
I heard that name
today and heard myself
saying that name
and it felt like I'd committed
some grave sin
and that I should seek the Sacrament
of “Penance and Reconciliation”
from the Church.
While not normally given
to such magical thinking,
or belief in curses or incantations,
I did feel different today afterward,
and for a while
I couldn't get that face
out of my mind...
I felt anxious
expecting something bad
to happen...
and the world felt different -
a bit more unfriendly
and frightening...
and I felt alone and vulnerable.
But since I shared this poem,
I felt a little better,
a little more relaxed.
© 2010 Bruce Whealton
Bruce
Whealton has been the co-editor and publisher of Word
Salad Poetry Magazine since 1995
and their newest publication, Haiku
Ramblings. They publish both on
the web at WordSaladPoetryMagazine.com
and in print. Bruce has
a Bachelors Degree from Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master's
Degree in Social Work. He has been writing and studying poetry for many
years with various mentors. His poetry has been published recently in The
Horror Zine, and the associated
Anthology called “And
Now the Nightmare Begins: The Horror Zine.
His poems have also appeared in “lines
written w/a razor,” “Childe Bryde,”
“lunatic chameleon,” “the thin edge of
staring, “Chance Magazine,” Venus Rising,
the Wilmington Star News' Port
City Poets, and “Gravity
Hill,” and “Simple
Vows Anthology” which
is put out by St. Andrews College Press.
Find more by Bruce Whealton in the Author Index.
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