This Staircase
Sometimes
I sit at the top of a staircase
No sacred space but a threshold
No sacred wall hangings but hastily draped drying towels
No sacred incense but the scent of wood and dust and dampness
And whatever soap I used last to wash my hands
No sacred sounds but the clicking of dog claws on the floor
The world as it moves outside
The sudden ring of a phone, and my breath
As it passes over the hairs in my nostrils
Mimicking this morning the wind that howls thought the tops of the trees
No sacred design but now or never
A moment between routine and responsibilities
Before I shrug it off, descend, and start my day
No sacred posture but balancing
Upright just enough to keep me from tipping too far forward
I am acutely aware of life and near disaster and the forward motion of it all
And another shadowy tunnel I will someday face
No sacred schedule but a subtle pull towards stillness
I am content for now to sit silent
To gaze down this century old passageway
To pay attention to whatever comes up
At the top of this staircase
— April Resnick
My Staircase
sometimesihatemycat 
brilliant – I read every word – you are so there at the moment, April; brilliant
Thanks so much. It was a prose piece that I pared down in preparation for an upcoming poetry reading…my first…it helps very much to know that this re-vamping worked.
April – I’ve been presumptious and added this piece to my ‘others’ page on my blog with the comment:
‘most poems I’ll get a ‘seam’ of something mineral and the rest packs tightly around it; if it’s good; this piece by April Resnick from her ..sometimesihatemycat.. blog, is ALL SEAM, I was able to inhabit (and wear) every – single – word; every once in a while she makes some floor-creak-alive pieces which leave me totally relaxed and able to breathe out peacefully and gratefully’
I hope you don’t mind – http://mlewisredford.wordpress.com/others/
Of course I don’t mind, I am thrilled. Mostly I am happy that the piece touched you in the way it did. Your words “floor-creaking-alive” are absolutely humbling, and my sincerest wish for my writing. You are welcome to share anything from my blog that you want. Thank you so much for sharing my work, for reading, and for letting me know. P.S. Your great poetic work humbles me as well. I feel mediocre compared to some of your stuff. 🙂