i left sadness as a half-peeled onion
on a platter
it saw no sunshine
but to my surprise, it grew
speckled leaves
the color of my eyes &
roots, the shape of my feet
i planted it in pot of soil
nurtured by winter cold symphony
& northern darkness
no petals grew
nor sweet fruits of long summer days
instead its roots spread
warming my blood
as spice, flavor, fire
in my belly
it became part of my body
watercolors my hours
& underlines my little joys
whistling with sigh & shiver
hush of pine trees
Inspired by my Photo of the Growing Half-Peeled Onion
"Color arrives,
sometimes when
you least expect it." Inspired from post from Brain Pickings
Inspired Poem by W. S. Mervin
Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - A Conversation, hosted by Sarah Connor. Join us when the pub doors open at 3pm EST.
Oh my.....if you were sitting beside me, you would have heard and audible sigh escape at the end of my reading this and then a quiet whispered "wow"
ReplyDeleteJust beautiful, Grace.
My goodness this is absolutely stunning, Grace!💝 Especially love; "instead its roots spread warming my blood as spice, flavor, fire in my belly,it became part of my body." Sigh..💝
ReplyDeleteI love this exploration, Grace. The growth is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThe human spirit always finds a way to remain inspired. I think of the lowly onion and its inspiration with awe through your words. Wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI love, love, love this!
ReplyDelete"i left sadness as a half-peeled onion
on a platter"
Off topic, but it reminded me of a poem my friend wrote about onions. He personified it, humorously. The opener reminded me of that!
Anyway, I love the transformation here, how sadness can grow and be nurtured into feelings of whole and content, maybe not happiness but a place where one could feel better. Beautifully written.
I like this metamorphosis
ReplyDeleteSomehow this seemed to speak of the small moments of little joys we learned to notice in our enforced quarantine...the growth of perception allowed when our world stood still and we were forced to consider small things in its cessation of spinning.
ReplyDeleteGrace, this is simply stunning.
ReplyDeletePutting down roots ~~ what it’s all about! Happy 2021.
ReplyDeleteThankyou for introducing me to the poetry of W. S. Mervin, Grace, and for sharing this beautiful extended metaphor poem. Sadness can grow into something positive. I especially love the lines:
ReplyDelete‘no petals grew
nor sweet fruits of long summer days
instead its roots spread
warming my blood
as spice, flavor, fire
in my belly’.
Oh, you've really excelled yourself, Grace. This is wonderful.
ReplyDeleteA quiet and powerful exploration of emotions.
ReplyDeleteThis is lovely, Grace, how you take sadness, nurture it and realise that whatever form it takes in the end, it's part of the way we are.
ReplyDeleteWell written Grace, and Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteyou lived up to your name with this one!
ReplyDeleteSadness adapted, integrated and blossomed ... sigh
Amazing! Just amazing amazing poetry, Grace.
ReplyDeletestunning words
ReplyDelete