TARA DASSO - POEMS

Tara Dasso is a poet and teacher from Western Massachusetts. Her work attempts to find the extraordinary in everyday interactions. Her work has appeared in several journals including Page &Spine and GFT Press. She appreciates the opportunity to share her work.

The Descent
​

​Feel the needle slide in
pop skin
warmth courses throughout
pupils pools of night;
beholden to your drug of choice
it used to be me you craved
once a son, brother, lover,
now an unrepentant addict
I knew you before your descent.

One Foot In, One Foot Out of the Hearing World
​

​I am in a struggle to stay in the hearing world
A soldier, I navigate battles between sounds and silence
Each restaurant or social encounter a minefield
to be quickly assessed and addressed.
Robbed of the full sound of my son’s laughter,
 a favorite song, or a lover’s sweet whispers.
An unknown enemy has stolen and killed the nerves of my inner ear.
Metal replacements ding and hiss
Sometimes allow a crushing wall of sound to rattle my cage ; disorient my mind and space
People mistake my confusion and isolation for smugness or a vacant mind
But as sound fades I have a sharper observation of beauty around me
My son’s smile, the smell of lilacs, the caress of the breeze on my quiet walks
These are the things that sustain me
As I battle on fiercely to remain relevant and present in the hearing world.
 

Sanctuary  
​

​My smooth hand covers your wrinkled one
My body nestled up to yours in the hospital bed
The hope that if I hold on tight enough you can’t be taken
I try to get you to eat while you crack bad jokes
I was only twenty –two
The loss of you was my first real encounter with the pain of grief.
 
I spoke pretty words at your funeral
Tried to impart to strangers and family how special you were
A sanctuary to where others looked to for strength and advice
Your warm heart and humor which gave levity and respite from the frightening turns life sometimes takes
For months I was numb, eclipsed in a shadow of mournfulness
Soothed into sleep by the softness of the flannel shirts you used to wear.
 
It has been many years since you have been gone
The wound is lessened but not healed
I think of you every time I watch Wheel of Fortune
Or eat JELLO
I talk to you all the time and there are so many moments when I wish you were here
If only you could have met my son
Or the man I will marry whose gentleness and kind nature remind me of you
I look forward to when we will meet again
Walking hand in hand into whatever comes after.
 
 

An Awakening of Grace
​

The circle commences;
Seven women of spirit and strength
We ring the bowl; feel energy of sound engulf us
The presence of Kuan Yin is palpable;
Here, our bodies move and contort in the tradition of Yin
Nourish ourselves with the power of forgiveness
We let go of the hurts and transgressions that bind us
I chant a silent incantation
Love return to me
Grace return to me
Peace return to me
breathe in and out in languid rhythm
I am home.