Don’t think I was meddling because I
Saw more than the others. Everything about
You seemed transparent really, and each part
You thought was hidden appeared to me as
A book longing to be thumbed through…
.
…What was I to do?
.
If you truly believed you were
Hiding your heart - you weren’t.
I didn’t purpose to see more than I had,
Or make mention of it, but when the portal
Opened, and light fell upon a heart held captive;
I was touched in a place I’d never known before.
Of course, then, after you realized how clearly
I saw what you thought was hidden, you
Groaned and turned away from me. Trying to cram
Your heart back into a box; you asked me to keep
The secret and not say a word to anyone…
.
…What was this place you’d fashioned from your past?
.
Musty unlit chambers
Blemished with many tragedy’s,
An unattended bedchamber replete
With vases of wilted flowers,
Threadbare carpeting,
Curled wallpaper,
Cups brimming
With anguished tears,
Letters of love addressed to you
(Written by your own hand) crumpled
In tight balls and thrown about the room;
Downhearted I knew this ewer called you
Was in need of an understanding soul.
.
Asking if I could come
Closer to see better, you
Softened and showed me
A headstone where I might
Enter into your secret places.
From trembling eyes cleansing
Tears flowed; (an ablutionary ritual)
Each drop plunging into the hidden berths
Of skeletons long held in contempt. You shook,
Abandoned, as sorrow poured from your reddened eyes.
Misunderstandings like rivers surged past rocks and
Fallen trees, emotional barrens, once bursting ripe
With the fetor of unfulfilled yearnings, dissolved
Under the disembogue of an honest
Emotional climax…
.
Afterwards, reaching out with strong hands,
I tenderly bosomed the emptiness that remained,
And then pulled you into the fortress of my heart….
.
richard lloyd cederberg
2018

The Portrayal Series: Poetic insights concerning family and friends. They will also address some of the actors, artists, musicians, and writers I associated or worked with in college, or professionally, in my 20’s - 40’s. All of these individuals were influential (in one way or another) in shaping the man I am today.
             richardlloydcederberg.com