New Poetry by Hazel J. Hall

 

The Shadow Cast By Gentleness

In the patter of city street puddles,

I see the truth about chaos. 

In the center of everything, 

there is a light. A shining light.

I see the truth: that a gentleness is also 

a longing, for then I glimpse a girl at a desk. 

I look into her while all at once looking

into myself—I can only hope

at night she still dreams,

and in the nightmares, the monster

catches her before she is forced

to run on empty, for a mercy

is also a gentleness. And the wildfire

is warmer than all the heat

a heart could ever carry.

I look into the girl at the desk,

hoping she'll hold onto what energy 

the universe would rather keep,

for a mercy is also a longing,

a jealousy. Could things have been 

different? Could the gentleness have

stayed, never fleeing in the face of the monster

inside?

- © Hazel J. Hall 2023

Hazel J. Hall is a writer and poet powered by caffeine and insulin. Right now, she is pursuing an English degree while working on her first novel. More of Hazel's work can be found in Bending Genres, Vocivia Magazine, and CLOVES Literary, with other pieces forthcoming or visible at her site, hazeljhall.com.