For a moment there... (2010)

For a moment there I'd thought I'd lost you
Trusted your love to another's soft arms
Sacrificed your soothing words for the sake
Of some dear soul in greater need of
Your deep wisdom and your comforting thoughts

When I scanned the room and could not find you
The curve of your spine seemingly absent
My heart dropped like a lead weight in the sea
Had I in my rash haste cast you outwards?
Had I chosen to share you, lend your love?

I have, in the past lost many like you
But you are one I could not bear to lose
My life is a list of borrowed lovers
Who have left my doorstep and not returned
Names gathering dust in far off houses

Fear overwhelms me and in panic
I scour my house for a trace of you
Conjuring your faint image to my mind
I throw my anxious self about the rooms
Frantically searching high and low for you

For a moment there, I'd thought I'd lost you
Placed your pages in another's soft arms
But there you sit, hidden, partly obscured
Awaiting my touch and my devotion
Ready to tell your stories

My hand caresses the curve of your spine
Opens your cover, and your words spill forth
Curled against cushions, gazing at your face
You are mine and I am yours once again
And we rediscover an old friendship.

Bonus: Actual performance of the poem. ACT Poetry Slam Finals 2010.

My performance starts at 4:46 - but if you watch the full video, you'll see that my competition included quality poets like JC Inman, Darian Isaac and CJ Bowerbird (Australian Poetry Slam Champion). No wonder my performance was terrible. No excuses for the crappy suit and haircut though.