chiari - By: Amy Savciuc

we lived where christmas made itself known

only in our hearts, a chamber no one pried

hard enough to truly find or dissect. if they

did, they would have discovered that my

body was not prepared for my mind. the

evolution my soul had imprinted on could

not form a physical reality within the

restraints of my brain; my structure & my

form; an electrical conduit.

but they would have desecrated it, too, so

between freedom & safety, the choice is

clear. one comes with more death than the

other. more risk. more anarchy. less

devotion, but more room for devotion. the

devotion that can only arise from the

butter-soft touch of human fingers, the

nectarous undulation of the human larynx,

& the flutter of human muscle beneath

5 milliamperes. only 100 and respiratory

paralysis arises; cardiac arrest; entangled

deep in the layers of our bodies like swollen

fruit vesicles.

Please give a detailed explanation about the meaning and main idea of this poem.

The poem means to tackle themes of spirituality, the weakness of the human body, the choice between freedom and security, and whether both can coexist. Through the reflective tone of the speaker, the poem means to highlight the absurdity of life.

Please explain your writing and thought process regarding this poem.

I wrote it after being inspired by the natural imagery of another poem, which I cannot particularly recall now, but it made me realize how truly unchained words on a paper can be.

Why did you choose to write this poem?

Every time I have a question for myself that I cannot answer, I turn it into a poem. This is the poem that emerged on a particular day for a particular question about life and freedom.