I walk towards the lapping waves, calling the night my muse
I swallow the moonlight & taste the effervescene of the pink plumerias;
hush now, you
are rippling limbs & shadowed eyes, suttered in mystery
Yet, stilled in blue, the words quiver in my throat
What was I about to say & do, my love?
I hesitate & let the unspoken be, jousting with the wind. My arms droop at my sides, falling petals, instead of casting spells & weaving stardust
The electricity of the unknown died, and I let the safe harbors of the crowd
embraced me. Plugged me to the drone of bright city lights.
Looking back now, I have left my coat on rocky shores, marked with hues
and shades of fushcia sin;
each one a reminder of the kind of person I would have been*. The wildness
never called me again.
* Original line: " I have left my signatures on rocky shores, marked with hues and shades of fushcia sin; each one a reminder of the kind of person I have been." Of the waters and wild by Sanaa Rizvi
Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - Poetics: Dundgeons and Derivatives, hosted by Sanaa Rizvi. Join us when the pub doors open at 3pm EST.
This is a haunting poem, Grace, and a beautiful tribute to Sanaa's poetry. I love the half-rhyme of the final lines, which adds a wistfulness to the piece.
ReplyDeleteI love the story you hide here... the unspoken, the things that could have been. In the end the harbor always pulls back.
ReplyDeleteThis is exquisitely drawn, Grace!💝 I so love the use of imagery here "suttered in mystery/Yet, stilled in blue, the words quiver in my throat," and the way you have molded the quote to fit the mood here... brilliant work done! Thank you so much for writing to the prompt!💝
ReplyDeleteYou took Saana's line and made it your own. Such lovely imagery with a touch of melancholia at the end.
ReplyDeleteYou had me sighing all the way through! 💗💗💗
ReplyDelete"I hesitate & let the unspoken be, jousting with the wind."
ReplyDeleteLuv this
Happy Tuesday
Much💖love
there is a slow sweetness to this poem, filled with longing, ache, and yet wonder too, of a rippling acceptance, and I think there is as much going on, or perhaps more, or still yet, an unspoken conversation/reply in the line breaks, in the spaces in the in-between, which makes this piece so fascinating. I've come back and read it several times, and it fills me every time with something new, something more. I feel like this is "liquid essence" - some strange brew of oils all bottled in blue.
ReplyDeleteWonderful interpretation of the prompt and morsel bits.
Sometimes less words is more effective than more details. Thank you kindly for your comments.
Deletehow very true .... something I, alas, am not often conscious of! 😂
DeleteOh do you ever wonder what might have been? Any regrets? Yes, this is haunting poem and it is very beautiful Grace 💕☺️
ReplyDeleteI do indeed. Thank you for your lovely words.
Deletequite ethereal, our eternal quest for what could have been ...
ReplyDeleteOh, so whole. I like this kind of poetry. Thanks enormously. We live and learn. TY
ReplyDeleteeach one a reminder of the kind
ReplyDeleteof person I would have been*.
The wildness never called me again
Love the unknown possibilities at the close. It leaves one wondering what could have been. Great post Grace!
Hank
Those are my favorite lines too!
Delete-David [ben Alexander]
This is lovely and hypnotic, Grace, like the lapping waves. I can feel all the sensory impressions of the moment. I especially love these lines:
ReplyDelete"I hesitate & let the unspoken be, jousting with the wind. My arms droop at my sides, falling petals, instead of casting spells & weaving stardust" :-)
Grace, I love what you did with Sanaa's line ... its turn of phrase. A beautiful poem.
ReplyDeleteLove it! So very beautiful, Grace.
ReplyDeleteThere's some magic woven into this poem.
ReplyDeleteSuch an amazing use of this line. The tug between water and the wild. I know it well.
ReplyDeleteGrace,
ReplyDeleteI was transported by your words, their dreamlike quality, yet somehow possessing a tangible intensity of daring passion, never forgotten. So taken with this line especially: "I hesitate & let the unspoken be, jousting with the wind." Perfect.
pax,
dora