Unearthed



What do I do with this hole
In the ground?
I picked up the shovel and dug it out.
It gets harder yet harder each day
To choose which one of us should be the one to stay.

This dark earth smells as if it belongs to me
And only one of us it must be.
What do I bury in this hole in the ground?
The one I used a shovel to dig out.

In this cave I call,
Echoed words in this hole.
And I shall say nothing more
Alone in the company of peace,
And the stolen virginity of my grief.

What do I do? What do I do?
What do I do.

Time has removed its shackles.
Still, it remains the me’s and the you’s.
In this world we built
Never giving.
Always and only leaving clues,
Perhaps by mistake for me, perhaps for you.

What do I do with this hole in the ground?
Where can I find a moment’s quiet and rest?
What do I do in this hole in the ground?
When all that is said, is said so in jest.

About this poem

It is about loss and the loss of words to say goodbye. It dives both physically and metaphorically into our deepest psyche to try to find a way to move forward with the constant inadequacy of words. Words that are really not needed but feel necessary.

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Written on June 29, 2022

Submitted by alida_k on December 01, 2022

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:03 min read
45

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCDD EEBC XAXXX FF XXXXXF BGBG
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 883
Words 213
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 5, 4, 5, 2, 6, 4

Alida Kemp

I grew up in Durban, South Africa. Now I find myself in the heartland of the Swartland working with horses. It is isolating yet it gives me, I hope, a unique perspective on life whilst sharing the universal experience. more…

All Alida Kemp poems | Alida Kemp Books

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