Allie Windergerst

This poem was originally published in the 2014 edition of Lyrical Iowa. This version has been updated and re-edited post-publication. 

Waking, we find that
in this world filled with
confusion, destruction
and melancholy,
we’re all a little lost
in the sea of people
trying to find themselves,
hoping that we might
find someone else
in the process
beneath the burning words
that largely remain unspoken.

And our bodies may remain
a little worn,
and our hearts sometimes remain
a little torn,
but we’re determined
not to leave
a single stone unturned
until we find what we’re
so desperately searching for:
that place where we might
unearth the way in which things
that so easily fall apart
could fit together
beautifully.