half of me
stands in the doorway
lit and visible
hands open
as if the world is gentle
you see that part
the steady voice
the practiced smile
the way I hold myself
like I’ve already made peace
but the other half
lives behind the ribs
you can’t see
the rooms I keep locked
the storms that learned
to thunder without sound
the ache that hums
beneath calm skin
half of me
is sunlight on water
the other half
is the current
deep and pulling
strong enough
to carry entire histories
if you look close
you might notice
how my eyes hesitate
before they shine
how my laughter
sometimes arrives
a breath late
I am both
the surface
and the undertow
and loving me
means learning
to hold
what is offered in light
and what survives
in the dark
The Creative Chic
The Creative Chic 
One of your best ones ever of all time! Hands down! ❤️🙂
Thank you so much, you’re the best ❤️🙂
so very true for all of us
Elizabeth
You are so right, for all of us!
So often (maybe too often) I feel so much like but the other half…
Sometimes it is stressful delivering that laughter, even a breath late.
Happily, I married someone who lovingly holds both halves.
This was a very moving poem and, I think, one of your best (at least of those I’ve read). Thank you so very much for sharing this gem. pp
I can understand you so much. I appreciate you and your support. Much love!
Thank you, and right back to you as well. pp
“Most men live lives of quiet desperation.” – Thoreau
An absolutely heartbreaking quote. Thoreau encapsulated what you articulated with the dagger of a line: “the storms that learned
to thunder without sound.”
Many of us struggle with the perception and the reality…that personal duality of our known self and our portrayed self. Your words will undoubtedly serve to have the reader confront their own “locked rooms” or perhaps find solace that they are not the only one that “survives in the dark.”
Your words are striking. They are beautiful. They are poignant. They are introspective. They are vulnerable. They are, above all, IMPORTANT. What you are doing here is no small thing. You are serving others with your art. Truly.
My wish for you is to have someone in your life who sees the half of you that you show, and makes you feel safe in their love, to let you reveal the half you don’t.
I almost don’t have any words for this beautiful comment. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your love and support, it means more to me than you know. My wish for you is the same, and what a wonderful thing that is.
I have been so fortunate to have found this in my life. And I have not always had it. To borrow from some of your other talented work, I lived much of my life “edited” and the undertow was only mine to know. It was a source of shame and hollowness.
But I love all of someone who loves all of me. And now my love has richness and depth and safety. She is a marvel. And I am so incredibly grateful.
Oh my goodness…this is my favorite line. loving me means learning to hold what is offered in light and what survives in the dark because it’s me and how I feel exactly. This is beautiful, just like you!!! 🤍
Oh goodness, thank you so much. You know, it takes one beautiful soul to see another. I see you 🤍
Hi Jennifer, this poem is absolutely beautiful, honest and so very vulnerable. When I feel as you so perfectly expressed, I remind myself, when in deep water become a diver. Your words are so moving, Jennifer. Thank you.
Thank you so much for such wise advice. I appreciate you being here ❤️
Jennifer, what a beautiful, raw and visceral poem. The duality of being human…we cannot accept one half and not the other. I see you in the light and in the dark. And I accept you for all that you are…I will stand by you no matter what. Thank you for existing and gracing the world with your gorgeous soul. 😊❤️
Tyler, thank you for such a kind and loving comment. You are such a beautiful person, please never change. I couldn’t imagine this life without you. You’ve been such a great friend to me, for that, I’m grateful ❤️