Souls with Skin

Author: Robin Klebba

  • Shalom

    Shalom

    —

    by

    Robin Klebba
    in ,

    *A playful poem meant to highlight Mary’s youth while also honoring her maturity and faithfulness, two reasons, I believe, she was chosen to bear and love Jesus* Shalom was tiredas was I“How much farther, Joseph?”“Just a little bit,” he replied. Dear man.I’d come to learn“a little bit”was his way of managing a lot And I…

  • To become soft

    To become soft

    —

    by

    Robin Klebba
    in ,

    It’s hard to become softNot likeCleansing and perfuming fabric softenerBut likeA meat tenderizerWhich even sounds kinder than it is​I try to makeThis crunchy exoskeletonFuse with an even stouter backboneAnd don armadillo armorWhich the scavengers avoid,Even stench erased​It would be easier to stay this wayThan molt and stretchand be seenThe excess weight is identityAlbeit exhaustingA make-up…

  • The Sound of You

    The Sound of You

    —

    by

    Robin Klebba
    in , ,

    ​Gravel crunch and steel toe marchTrigger the hypervigilanceI instantly recallWhat ’til now I had forgottenAnd knowI’m in for it​If only I could shrink-I’d steal the gadget for you, honey-Instead, I freeze like a deer in headlightsDoom imminentTime traveling half-speed​My breathing is too loudCuz I’ve been holding itAnd my burning lungs alerted meSo the gasps come…

  • Mud Pies

    Mud Pies

    —

    by

    Robin Klebba
    in ,

    When God sat downTo play with dirt,Imagination open-mouth kissed reality.Thus, clay was dusted offAnd named​Yet full completion didn’t comeUntil the entrance of anotherThe second-one​For years I believedHer second formed birth orderMade her just so:SecondaryMade from man and for man​Ah, there was a realmWhere Eve placed firstRecognized for disqualificationWearing a crown of deceitLips apple red​Thus, the…

  • Eye in the Sky

    Eye in the Sky

    —

    by

    Robin Klebba
    in , ,

    When you’re taughtthat God is the all seeing eye in the skyas a tactic for behavior and sin modification,it first strikes the fear of hell into youand thenInspires you to get better at hiding.Yet the hiding doesn’t stop at from others,but you also have to hide from yourself.If God knows everything,you can’t let Him know…

  • Homeless

    Homeless

    —

    by

    Robin Klebba
    in

    I’ve been hungry for a home Since before the time I left it 18 and anchors away Permanency long before lifted No matter when I returned It always felt different Not that I overstayed my welcome But that belonging was no longer an option Floating in harbor Or miles length from shore The horizon is…

  • To New

    To New

    —

    by

    Robin Klebba
    in ,

    Although birth only fully happened once to me, rebirth has occurred multiple times. This blog is a way I hope to make sense and meaning out of the latest one, one centered around both body and soul. I want to explore, wrestle, question, lament, celebrate, relinquish, and bask in the now, the yesterday and the…

  • Shelf-Sitting

    Shelf-Sitting

    —

    by

    Robin Klebba
    in

    Trauma is like sitting on a shelf Watching your life go by such hustle and bustle a triadic tug of war between anxiety, hope, and depression. Linda’s momma said it so succinctly, “No, dear, she isn’t new.” My corduroy overalls are missing a button. I almost forgot I’m broken, myself the only one buying the…

  • Fixed

    Fixed

    —

    by

    Robin Klebba
    in ,

    FixedBut not likeSomething that’s broken and needs healingOr repair(Although that’s true)But likeImmovable and constantHow I can never flee Your presenceTo east or west, sea depths or sky heightsBecause I’m fixedIn Your mind, holding Your attentionOut of love, not judgementOr disappointmentI’m fixedBecause You areRelentlessly with while also coming forFirmly plantedSo that I might also beTree tops…