Raw Earth Ink
Spit mixed with dirt – Muddy words flow
Exaltation No. 11 (Real)
with your love surrounding me
soft, gentle, cloudlike
a fulfillment previously unknown
it was a gentle in-filling
this dawning comprehension
the fullness of love
together: complete, whole
apart: missing pieces of myself, of you
I still don’t fully understand it
me and you
but I do know, in you, I am at peace
the world’s troubles don’t disappear
but they become faded,
smudges of reality
the real world is me resting in your arms
the real world is gazing into your eyes
the real world is your heartbeat in my ear
the real world is you
tara caribou | ©️ 2026
19 Comments on “Exaltation No. 11 (Real)”
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Raw Earth Ink 
Lovely, Tara. “Smudges of reality”. 🙂
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You know how it is… out of focus (because it’s not your focus). Smudgy.
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Definitely. Hope you are doing well. <3
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Some days I’m great. But I am full of anxiety and stress (this time real world issues rather than emotional or OCD issues). I’m okay.
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Seems to be going around :-(
Hope it gets better soon.
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It’s beautiful, Tara.
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Thank you so much ☺️
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Delightful, Tara.
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😌 Thank you Chris.
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This is so so so lovely. I love it.
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Thank you, my friend 😌💕
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Wonderful piece, Tara. Always best to sink into the reality that is those we love and not the nonsense which the world attempts to thrust upon us.
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That’s it exactly. Easy to get fooled into what’s important and what is not.
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I like the sentiment of this, Tara – and for me the lesson in minimal punctuation through use of line length – I use far to many commas! All the best. Eric.
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Sometimes I use lots of punctuation and sometimes none at all. I think it all works!
Thanks for reading! 😌
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This is wonderful, tara. I especially like:
the world’s troubles don’t disappear
but they become faded,
smudges of reality
We writers can be so quick to wax poetic about the “fairytale” version of love where everything is perfect and rosy. But I think it’s important to acknowledge that true love doesn’t mean all our problems go away, it just means they are easier to bear because we have a partner to help us bear them. Thank you for sharing this piece of writing.
I hope this isn’t too random of a question… but should I be capitalizing your name?? Haha. I’ve never seen you yourself capitalize it, so I just figured I’d follow your lead. Now I am questioning if I have been doing wrong all these years…
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Thanks Robert! I have been attempting to be more intentional with where I put my attentions. I find basing myself in reality keeps me grounded and much less depressed, generally speaking. That isn’t to say I don’t appreciate my friends of the internet, but I need to focus on those right in front of me. Friends, co-workers, family members, and such. Even the very nice lady at the gas station who asks about my day, genuinely. Focusing properly doesn’t make the world any less weird or troubling. But it does make it fade a bit.
As for my name, you are correct. I will never capitalize my name. And I appreciate those who also respect that, such as yourself! 💕 capitalizing my name is for my strawman. tara is who I really am. Thanks for asking, and always reading and commenting. I appreciate you! (And I hope to see more Puppeteer writing soon(ish?))
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I am also trying to be more mindful about being present in the moment and appreciating/focusing on the things that are right in front of me. Trying to maintain a proper perspective. I always enjoy your writing – it is beautiful, but it also has substance behind it. As for myself, I am weighing a few different ideas – I am thinking about taking a break from shorter fiction and possibly trying my hand at something longer. But we will see.
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Oohhhh longer fiction from one of my favorite writers?! Yes, please! As always, if there’s anything I can do to help out or read or such, I am here for you.
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