still this number
for a couple more hours
last thursday this valley was drowsy
a comforting dimming
of external awareness
colors muted but much lovelier
seeping one into another
the illusion of sharp outlines
revealed to closer seeing
in the eternal noiseless drizzle
Angela used to say
go walking in this weather
its so good for your skin
and god her face was beautiful
how the pink deepens
just now in the west
when I think on her soul
beyond the sunveil of her body
my brother crossed the boundary
his last respiration
somewhere in Florida
now the horizon nearly scarlet
while I scan through all our trespasses
that which he found funny
and that which stoked his fear
and those which I imagined
how in childhood he seemed transparent
only to blossom enigmatic
and how could it be
poor Denis received a treefall
on the selfsame landscape
he tended cherishing for decades
even unto his ninth one
still we made duets
on fiddles aged but soulful
how I marvelled sometimes
the way our hearing
outsummed our solo listening
unlocking a brief impossibility
hid inside a 17th century melody
no more this life my friend
he was once a CEO
but I knew him
blessed, in his carefree dusk
the sprawling spruce perceives me
this not quite melancholy evening
its arms reaching the far banks
standing sentry at river’s bend
it sways with animate teasing
in the collaborating breeze
while a deep carmine strip
of final day’s shine
designates the transition
between treeline and horizon
at the extreme rim of my knowing
and it smiles into me something
gesturing a comradery
and a wish or maybe warning
this new year take serious
your intuitions and boldly shed
that lizard skin you thought so personal
let your kindness be your courage
let your presence be your map
locate your identity
where it should be
in the ones you live to help
_______RS
[ Image : moi ]
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Beautiful. Thank you.
kind thanks π
Wow ! Just Wow!
π
a soulful poem. love it
thanks so much, happy to hear. your stuff is very interesting == the way the imagery blends together in a way half-grasped and half-mysterious… it reminds me of the aesthetic I encountered years ago when spending some time in China. I was in Yunnan province. have a look here if you care to π
https://skirmisheswithreality.net/2020/05/02/yunnan/
I’m late to the party on this one, but beautifully done. Really. Happy belated!
Aww, thanks very much. Yep, I’m well into my new number now π
You have such a gentle flow to your poetry..the end lines I imagine..are almost always different…and I love that. You have some subtle surprises in your lines…and there is real warmth and caring there too.
You see me, in part. How nice it is to be grasped: the reason, often, we write. π thanks for your kind words.
Thank you for saying that. I love to go inside the lines and see how they feel..In some ways yours feel like the violin you play..my favorite instrument.
know what you mean… yes, they are beautifully expressive. wish I could consistently feel as expressive with it musically as I feel most times with words… I think I would make that trade in an instant! I shall have to make a point of wandering through your blog more deliberately soon π
I chose well letting this be my first introduction to your writing. Being a sucker for metaphors, landscapes and tree references I really liked thisβ¦. βΊοΈπΊ
so good to hear this, and pleased to meet you π yes, that was a poignant hour or so, the moment I wrote this. I will be sure to look at your stuff soon as well.
Such beautiful poetry! Thanks for giving me the chance to discover your blog π
You’re so welcome, and lovely of you to say so. Glad it appealed to you — and I will visit yours soon too. π