swans at Christmas
only one Sound
leads me through a gray day
when the sky
is shut tight
one sound
on a windy day
lifts the birds
motionless
swelling the sea
under swans
like white thunderclouds
pressing the shore
with salt fingers
one promise
endless as
waves
beating
holds
the wings of my heart
in the air
leads me through a gray day
when the sky
is shut tight
one sound
on a windy day
lifts the birds
motionless
swelling the sea
under swans
like white thunderclouds
pressing the shore
with salt fingers
one promise
endless as
waves
beating
holds
the wings of my heart
in the air
posted by Yes at 1:36 AM
15 Comments:
after reading and enjoying this poem several times over, my only question is:
when are you going to compile a book of these jewels? i want to buy one and keep it close at hand like my mary oliver book. your words save me in so many ways. thank you again for sharing this gift of yours!
This is very beautiful, Firebird. Such sustenance...
ss--I'm so pleased that you wanted to read my poem several times--
that is quite a compliment!
I do intend to explore the world of publication--a daunting one from what I hear, but I'll give it my best shot! (As time permits, of course--what else is new?)
But I will make it a priority this new year. Thanks for your encouragement!
mb--I love that word, "sustenance"--you have put your finger on the core feeling of the poem--
as usual, you have a gift for choosing the right word!
And of course, I also love the word, "beautiful"--(but you knew that!)
Put me on the list for an autographed copy of the firebird collection :)
you are truly a lifter of the spirit.
gracie--You really lift MY spirit with your generous comments-- and that's also what I feel when I go to your blog!
Now I have more motivation for the book project...your wish shall be my command!
Add my name to book list too!! Love it!!
Pat--Thanks, your support always means a lot to me! I take everything you say to heart...
Take this not for an aspersion. Thine poeme is fine; yet here is mine...
swains at Christmas
only one proud
lady on a great day
party time
a bit tight…
swains sound
on a party day
like such flirts
get over it
swelling the seams
under swains
like white thunderclouds
pressing and sore
with salt fingers
one promise
endless as
swains
beating
bold
but not all that smart
when they stare
- Percy B. Silly
percy--Surely not an aspersion, but a delightful diversion...!
Truly I am not worthy of such a gift, but I will accept with utmost gratitude--on behalf of myself and our visitors which may now share in this delight--
Your images are vivid and evocative of Victorian gatherings gone by, when men both young and old puffed up like swans to impress the ladies, yet there is nevertheless a subtle echo of modernity in your lines--
"get over it"--such a spare and elegant turn of phrase--
And perchance, do these swains that you so touchingly portray have "salt fingers" from holding Margaritas?
Firebird - Your analysis of my profundity - of course I speak in modesty, I owe this depth only to my disingenuous inanity - the delicate elegance of your critique, how you peel away and disclose each layer of meaning... I frankly begin to lose all thoughts of Bird and Thursday next.
And yet as Alfed Lord Tennyson as a young swain once said of the women gathered at a Christmas party: "...each more beautiful than the next."
/bark bark bark
gorgeous! once i heard the canadian geese high above heading home....i couldnt believe how loud it was for how high they were...the honking! its a sound you never forget and when i hear it i run outside to watch.
happy new year firebird. your love of the living good earth makes me smile. its too easy to despair over whatever isnt right....but then we have the quiet refuge of what IS right.
thank you for presenting beauty on a daily basis.
/grrr
/bark bark bark
grrherherhaha
also percy's "a bit tight" is from modern times as well!
/howl
percy--Your disingenuous inanity is quite disarming--
and your instincts are correct to hold back from even the slightest breath of comparison, when ladies (or birds) are concerned...
Your avian admirer is still recovering from an untimely turn (tern) of phrase-- my sympathies are aroused--
As for Thursday next, I believe she sees right through you (as do I), this does not, however, diminish our fondness for you...
k9--You are full of surprises!
I had been thinking today that if anyone asked me what my favorite sound is,
I would say
"the sound of migrating geese flying".
I felt the same as you the first time I heard them, on a winter backpacking trip...
Thank you for your absolutely wonderful comment--
I believe that we can use the spiritual strength from nature to undo some of the negative forces in this world.
Even the small bit we do here in the blogging world...adds up!
And it's going to be an awesome year, I can tell...especially with friends like you!
P.S. You are right about "a bit tight"--a cute touch, that!
and to all--The best New Year ever!!
(aren't they all the best ever? I guess it depends on where you start...I have had nowhere to go but up, it seems!)
But this year was REALLY the best, and you all were a BIG part of making it so...thank you is a small word, but I don't have a better one...
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