You open the pages of books and your nails splinter
Crack freshly bound spines cruelly
Lay bare random words?
You open books
To find the messages you want to see.
If the message is not there
You imbue it into the resisting lines.
Ink smears across the page
Your heart clenches smaller inside its suffocating glove.
A truth so fresh it startles
You close the book
Place it behind college textbooks from 1963
This book is too powerful for you.
Photo by Jenny Marvin on Unsplash
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Ah, you did it again Jaya. What a gift!
“You open books
To find the messages you want to see.
If the message is not there
You imbue it into the resisting lines.”
Bending reality to your will when sometimes what you’re seeking is just not there, and then turning away from it because reality is “too powerful for you.” Loved it.xx
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Thank you for sharing the way you read this! I love that it clicked with you so deeply.
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Oh, this is fab! I could hear the book spine cracking when reading. It really does embody trying to twist something to fit your own narrative and disengaging when it doesn’t. Sometimes you just have to revisit to truly understand, don’t you?
Aimsy xoxo
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Writing that invites me back to find a new meaning is beautiful! Thank you for sharing your thoughts. 🙂
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If we don’t find what we expect in a text then yes, it’s true, we do twist what we read into what we want it to say. Beautifully put, Jaya, as always!
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That first stanza describing the sound of a book’s spine cracking really got me. It took me to the smell of a new book and the possibility that it brings. Amazing work!
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Ah, the smell of a new book deserves a poem of its own! Thanks so much for the inspiration. 🙂
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Your poem is absolutely lovely. It reminds me of how at times we are more willing to actively listen to others, while other times we may not be as open or as capable. Thank you so much for sharing.
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Thank you for sharing such a lovely perspective on this!
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This is beautiful. Thank you for sharing x
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Reblogged this on Vividnstylish and commented:
A heartfelt poem by Jaya Avendel
A truth so fresh it startles
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❤
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We all say knowledge is power, but when knowledge defiance our way of life; we prefer to stay uninformed:)
Heartfelt Poem, Jaya
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Staying uninformed is a choice many people make. Knowledge is consciousness is power!
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. 🙂
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Love this! I think it’s so true that we often search for the meaning we want rather than seeing what’s actually there.
Tash – A Girl with a View
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I love that you felt that in this writing! Thank you. ❤
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👍👍👍
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I feel this so much! Books are my safe haven. Wonderful piece Jaya!
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Having our own truth displayed can be a hard experience. Your use of a book is captivating and vivid
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🥰 Thank you! I love the way you experienced this message.
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“You open books
To find the messages you want to see.
If the message is not there
You imbue it into the resisting lines.”
Jaya this is me! But I would have never been able to explain this feature in a such perfect way.
Thank You so much DEAR ❤
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❤ I am so happy you connected with these words you have been searching for! Thank you!
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I can imagine this being the way so many people are inclined to read today – seeking out confirmation of their own beliefs or imaginations, forcing subtext where they’re unsatisfied. Gorgeous language as always!
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Yes, Tom, you put the story I am sharing here so perfectly! Thank you for connected with this. 🙂
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Wow such a striking and an emotive piece.
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Reading a book acquires a new meaning in your words, Jaya. So many beautiful lines but this stood out
“A truth so fresh it startles
You close the book”
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Love that you felt this so deeply! Thank you.
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You are always welcome.
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This kind of reminds me of people. Sometimes, they ask for advice and only want to hear what they want to hear. It’s hard to handle the truth sometimes, and when it is written in the books, it’s hard to get it changed. I like how you described putting it behind a bunch of old college textbooks. Speaking of which, I haven’t gotten back to mine ever since! Great job on this piece!
Nancy ✨ mdrnminimalists.com
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Thank you, Nancy, for sharing another way messages are often warped out of context! Love it. ❤
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I love the last line ‘this book is too powerful for you’ it’s such a thoughtful way to end this beautiful piece of poetry x
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Thank you so much, Kayleigh!
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Sometimes we aren’t ready for the messages, even if our search has been extensive and exhaustive.
Sometimes it takes courage to read, listen, and hear what we would rather hide on the shelf.
Deeply moving, Jaya. 💖
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Beautifully put and felt, Michele!
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Gorgeous write Java.
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Great piece. Due to my lack of linguistic skill, I was wondering if I was understating this section properly: “If the message is not there, You imbue it into the resisting lines” is the implication that if we don’t find our message we create the message we want to find by reading inbetween the lines?
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You nailed my intended interpretation in this piece beautifully! Thanks so much for sharing. 🙂
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very nice, enjoyed this.
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Thank you~
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Your heart clenches smaller inside its suffocating glove.
Wow that line….as though a breath is taken away. Journey through a journal of the past. Nicely done, Jaya.
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Thank you so much for your beautiful read!
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You’re welcome 😊
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“If the message is not there
You imbue it into the resisting lines.”
Such beautiful imagery 💕
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Powered and mystifying words, Jaya!
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Beautiful 👏👏👏
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