You walk along city's harbor nipping
of cool lake & sunset dipping faint yellow
But your eyes are loveless
& your hands are battered by yesterday's rain
The city grime drapes your robe grey
& thoughts dark dusty distraught
Even the garden of red sunflowers
are dry bulbs crusted in sawdust
Each petal a weeping eye
Each crown an empty castle
When did you forget that the world
is golden as sunflowers
When did you believe that soot &
cinders are your skin instead of wine & salt
When did you decide that you are
a shadow with parched roots, toothless mouth
You are not made of wheels nor steel knives
Your hands are not made just to scrap & toil
Stand upright & shake out webs & dead twigs
Remove those eyelids of black misery
Wake up & accept sky's gift of light & darkness
Strike your breasts red, rage your words loud
You are blessed with golden sunflowers
inside, spiral patterns of velvet beauty & seeds
glorious as your flower soul
Posted for Imaginary Garden for Real Toads - Featuring Lisa Graham's Art - I am hosting this feature over the weekend ~
and Kerry's Find Your Own Creative Space
Thanks for the visit ~
I try not to forget the flowers, sun inside and out, try to remember that we can enliven space rather than the other way around. how beautifully and seductively this poem moves from stanza to stanza leaving me with a bouquet!
ReplyDeleteAlways a challenge not to forget the flowers & sun ~ Thank you for the lovely words Susan ~
Deleteyour eyes are loveless...and hands battered with yesterdays rain....nice description and capture of the mood of her...i like the turn to strength, the call to wake up a bit in the second part of this grace....
ReplyDeleteThank you Brian ~ In a way, I want to wake up someday like Lisa and paint away ~
DeleteLike Brian, I also like the turn towards the end...the turn towards hope. Nice :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Keith ~
DeleteThe flowers epitomize" hope" and positivity, let us all spread it.
ReplyDeleteThanks Vandana ~
DeleteThat second couplet is stunning.
ReplyDeleteThanks MZ ~
DeleteLike Mama Zen, I too enjoyed the second couplet and also enjoyed how this ended in strength of a flower soul
ReplyDeletevery enjoyable, 'Grace-fully' written
Gracias mi amiga
Thank you my friend ~
DeleteThe flowers can sure bloom in such a way that would bring hope
ReplyDeleteSmiling back at you Pat ~
DeleteEach couplet is more amazing than the last. What a vision you have of a world gone wrong, and such an inspiration for poetry in the artwork!
ReplyDeleteThank you Kerry ~
Deletesometimes we become reflective of what is going on around us.. and lose who we are...
ReplyDeleteSince I work the city grind, I have to mindful of this too ~ Thanks Robert ~
DeleteI love this part: You are blessed with Golden sunflowers-......
ReplyDeleteLovely Grace!!!
xxx
Thanks Gloria ~ Cute avatar, smiles ~
DeleteMidst the concrete canyons, the urban sprawl, in the shadows of skyscrapers, it is good that the angst first alluded to in the beginning of the piece, begins to shift to awareness of parks, gardens, flower boxes, indoor plants, letting nature remind us to slow down, to daydream a sunny meadow while waiting for a bus.
ReplyDeleteTo daydream would be good ~ Thanks Glenn ~
DeleteSnap out of it, Gloomy! The mini-challenge is excellent, Grace.
ReplyDeleteI am snapping out of my winter gloom, thanks Shay ~ Appreciate your response ~
DeleteOh, I know, it sometimes seems as if winter will never end, leaving us to doom and gloom, but this is a wonderful write, Grace, and I thoroughly enjoyed today's challenge. I love the idea of an artist waking up to her art in mid-life.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
K
Its an inspiration to me ~ Thanks Kay ~
DeleteIt's like the brighter half of a heart singing to its other. Some really precise attenuations here in the couplets. I especially loved nos. 4, 5 and 9.
ReplyDeleteThank you Brendan ~
Deletelove this.
ReplyDeleteThank you ~
ReplyDeleteThis is very lovely - especially "When did you forget that the world
ReplyDeleteis golden as sunflowers"
Your poetry is very special Grace, you have a gift. "When did you forget...when did you believe...when did you decide..." I love this powerful voice of self questioning when we find ourselves viewing the world as dark and not so fun...when fatigue and ho-hum strikes. Beautifully written.
ReplyDeleteI just love your work! You are such a gifted poet! I want to keep your poems in my inbox and treasure them forever. They are all so meaningful and poetic. You are one of my favorite poets!
ReplyDeleteGrace, this is one of my favorites! I love this! If only we all could "Remove those eyelids of black misery" and see the beauty around and in us! Thank you so much for sharing Lisa's work! You and Lisa have inspired me today!
ReplyDeleteOh, Grace this poem is very powerful! All these reminders to look positively at world around...Just to read every morning don't forget about beauty.Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete"But your eyes are loveless
ReplyDelete& your hands are battered by yesterday's rain"
I love these lines! I also like that you don't just wallow in sorrow, but remind the reader of beauty, strength and worth in us all.
Beautiful up-turn in the end.
ReplyDeletePoor soul, chew a bit on him/her. Then build her/him up showing the potential that lies within. It also reminds me of when I no longer had to ride my horse to school. I changed to one too far away for a horse to walk. I swore that ALL my horses in the future would drink gasoline and not eat oats. Nor would they sweat smelly like the beast they were but instead would expel fumes and fire from their exhausts.
ReplyDeleteI have two Ponies now, a 1974 Mustang II Ghia and a 1998 Mustang GT convertible. None with hairs and sweat.
..
"beasts"
DeleteSorry about my proof reader.
..
Thank you too, Grace, for hosting. Lisa's pictures got a nice work out today. I picked the young lass with the long pigtails. Remember those days?
Delete..
The hippy kind of girl, right ~ Thanks for the lovely comments Jim ~
DeleteWe all need that turn at the end of your piece when we are walking through the dark...beautiful piece Grace "You are blessed with golden sunflowers
ReplyDeleteinside, spiral patterns of velvet beauty & seeds glorious as your flower soul"
Thank you Susie ~
DeleteI like the way this moves from description of a scene to conversation, questioning.
ReplyDeletewhen did you decide that you are a shadow?
ReplyDeletevery telling, very nice reflection, Grace.
I love the way your ending contrasts...I think you do very well to bring the two sides to life here...lots of yummy sound play throughout makes this poet happy!! I love the likening of the sunflower to castles. Thank you for the challenge and your beautiful response, Grace!
ReplyDelete"When did you believe that soot &
ReplyDeletecinders are your skin instead of wine & salt"
It really is a slow march into thinking this way. I can't help but imagine this starts with slumped shoulders and slowed footsteps … and ends with arms raised and swirling skirt as a smile spreads upon her face!
ah, good for me to read today, Grace. thank you ~
ReplyDelete