Nina Clements: Singing Bowl Massage
She places the bowls
on your body—
the heart and belly,
deep breaths
rise and fall.
You are on the table
but also floating
in the center
of a lake. Vibrations
at your core.
The table begins to shake.
.
She turns you over, gently,
positions your head
lower than your body.
Arms hang down, and bowls sing
on your shoulders, where the tension
hides. Bowls along your spine,
and the chiming of the gong,
the singing song of vibration
in your body. You feel it then—
trying to crawl up your throat,
out your mouth, a cough.
Get the men out, it says.
.
You want the calm
of the lake
as you walk along
its edge. Get the men
out, you say again.
Get out. Get out.
Alone in your body,
the water placid, only
the slight vibration
of the heart.
Copyright 2022 Nina Clements
Nina Clements is the author of a collection of poems Our Mother of Sorrows (Urban Farmhouse Press, 2020). She’s originally from Pittsburgh and currently lives in Madison, Wisconsin.
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