THE ANGEL TELLS ME
The Storm That Tames Us
Renée Gregorio

learn to listen with your whole body
she tells me

and I say I want to be with him
till my bones ache

she says I think a certain amount of praying
will be necessary

and I say I want to cut through this
like breaking a glass bottle over flagstone

and she says be raw
in your emotions

and I say I long to be
living in danger

and she says there is another territory
between the wild and the rational—live there

so I say who has the key?
Is it the car mechanic?

—my hands gripped tight around his thick waist
loving that wiry territory under the hood?

and she says you know
where your lips are

and I say I am ready
to burrow in

and she says don't fall over into it
like shouting down a well

and I say already there are too many
echoes in me

and she says lay a tribute
to what's broken

and I say I will burn candles
next to the shards of glass

and she says explore the dimensions
of your clashing desires

and I say I am afraid
to drive through blinding snow

and she says the musicality of chance
and I say this beginning breaks over me

and she says dive fully
under the harsh surface of water

and I say I have been
in shadow too long

and she says I am your intimate witness
and I say you are the unsounded voice in my head.

©1999 Renée Gregorio