What's on Your Heart, Dear Reader?
Perpetual Poetry Commissions for 2025, plus a custom poem to start off the New Year
Do you have a place that you hold dear to your heart?
Is there a person to whom you would like to express love and appreciation for?
Are you savoring an experience that you feel deeply about, but are not sure how to express it in words?
The holiday hustle and bustle may be winding down, but I wanted to remind folks that if you are looking for a special gift for someone in your life (even if that person is YOU!) for an upcoming birthday or other beloved occasion, I currently have some space for custom poetry commissions and would be honored to work with you to transform these personal sentiments into a one-of-a-kind poem.
Recently, a dear friend and longtime supporter of my poetry commissioned me to write a custom poem to honor the transformation she has experienced from the presence and love of her beloved dog.
I am so honored when someone trusts me with a pivotal emotional experience and asks me to capture it in words for them. To help give you a sense of what a custom poem can look like, I’m grateful to the aforementioned dear friend for giving me permission to share the poem that I wrote in celebration of the connection she shares with her sweet pup.
Trevor
One day during the April rains
when all was holy,
I drew a circle around
all that was Before
and welcomed you in.
Early but present -
what we need is rarely on time.
In the After,
we drove away from all you had known
towards all we would make, together
and you, trusting my arms
bounded into a bond
that I swear I won't break
lest everything around us become broken,
the pieces sharp and scorching,
your heartbeat always my bridge
to a gentler time.
It may be you that wears the leash, yet
it is I who is willing to be led.
The human brain burns to steer
to shriek
and scheme -
yet you let out the length of the reins and lean towards
all that speaks to you and through you,
to me:
sidewalks
scents
soulmates waiting to be made
along Beacon Street
on an ordinary Tuesday in December.
Loving you lets me be the animal I am
within the walls of your sweet school
I've been taught
to breathe,
to be,
to be beholden to another living being,
and to be without
the need to know,
to nudge the puzzle pieces neatly into place.
Walking through the woods with you
I learn to
listen
let go
linger
for all that is
"known and loved because it is known.”
"...love lasts only so long as there are marks...."
The steps we have taken together
have made me free and strong
our bond emblazoned like fossils in the damp earth -
for when one can consent to be shaped like clay
one shall find an infinite ability to hold whatever comes next from the sky,
even April rain.
Because of your heart, mine is forever
awake and attuned
to whatever might bound next around the bend,
ecstatic for all there is to savor,
moving through the fields we've tread together,
and all that remains to be loosed
and all who remain to be loved.
If you are feeling ready to get started co-creating a poem that captures what’s currently on your heart, or you know someone who would love to speak their feelings through a poem, send me a note at theperpetualvisitor at gmail dot com.
I would welcome the chance to continue the conversation and collaborate!
What an incredibly moving poem. You have such a gift!