In The Castle Of My Skin By Rachael N. Collymore

Our members' Poem of the Month for November*

In the castle of my skin
Oceans collide to meet the sea
Kissing the shoreline of time
I'm forever moving with the tide; its ebb & flow defines me
Like an immovable force the spirit within drives me;
Over the edge is limitless

In the castle of my skin
Worlds are endless
I draw outside the lines of conformity, smearing on mediocre's canvas, I paint.

For this skin is just my temporary home, for I exist -
Beyond this.
Among the trees and stars above
In the wind that whistles in your ear and in the melodies the birds sing.
I Am and I exist To Be...

"​My writing process starts with some specific inspiration. Be it a thing, an event or an occurrence, once it captures me, the words and thoughts are formed. This particular piece was two-fold in that the title came first (usually I put a title after the poem is written). I read George Lamming's, In the Castle of My Skin many years ago - such an engaging read - but his title stayed with me. It's visual in its phrasing, but the weight of the phrase says so much more. So I wrote it down recently and began thinking about it and its significance to one's identity and the words came."

- Rachael N. Collymore

*covers submissions for the period Oct 20 to Nov 20