Parallel Comfort by Laverne Zabielski

So desired
it is sought in hidden places
anguish rises from my gut
near the womb in which you grew

it leaks into the breasts
from which I nursed you
works its way into my throat
a tension pushing me over
 

falling me down
I write into this ache
my body calms
as does overwhelm

with desire
to dig into my words
my only path to redemption
this drunkenness of pain

my pain, your pain
we walk side-by-side
yet far apart
we do this alone.

 

 

Laverne Zabielski is a writer, artist, and publisher of Act of Power Press. She received her MFA in Writing at Spalding University in Louisville in 2004. In 1990 she founded The Working Class Kitchen Inc., a forum for poetry readings, performance art and workshops. In 2022 she created Cafe Luigart to create opportunities for others to read their work in a casual "cafe" setting. Her poems have been published in numerous journals, including The American Voice, The Thinker Review, The Sun and Southern Exposure. Her memoir, The Garden Girls Letters and Journal was published in 2006 by Wind Publications. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Kentucky Foundation for Women, Alternate Roots and The Kentucky Women’s Writers Conference.