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Poetry

Secrets

by Yahia Lababidi

Can we ever write about matters
that we cannot speak of –
the thing or two which determine
who we are and what we do?

When can we hint at the harm
we’ve hardly survived;
the realization that our allure
is due to deformity?

Sure, we confess in code
here, there and everywhere,
beneath our breaths
and over their heads

But when can we ever speak
plainly, of our obscene pain?
To whom and how might we
unburden ourselves, artlessly?

“The answer might be never”
whispers art, to which we owe all
– our masks, wisdom and lives.
Only transformation will set us free.

Yahia Lababidi is the author of Signposts to Elsewhere (aphorisms), Trial by Ink: From Nietzsche to Bellydancing (essays), The Artist as Mystic (conversations), and, most recently, Learning to Pray (poetry & aphorisms) and Desert Songs (poetry & photography).