The shells reminded her of the ocean—maps
conjuring places that she would never go–
the sky called her to sail, align with the gaps—
Her longing was fierce, vast, bottomless, with no
boundaries—she dreamed of journeys opening
new worlds that danced in amaranthine joy, flow
Echoing the trails of the stars, floating in
time with the waxing and waning of the moon,
returning to herself, circling, homecoming—
That other life was the one she wanted—strewn
in the shadows of voices calling her back
to the secrets stored inside that spiraled room
Frank Hubeny at dVerse gave us a difficult task–at least I found it difficult–writing tercets similar to those that were written by Dante for the Divine Comedy. My rhythm is definitely off and more than one of my rhymes are slanted, but I did get the 11 syllables in each line.
The art has been recycled from 2015.
K. 
The art fits the poem, and I love your labyrinth at the center with the “third eye” about to go in. Cosmic and soul-satisfying, Kerfe.
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Thanks Jade. I did the artwork to illustrate a poem of Nina’s–which it turned out had a similar feel to the one I had written–we did an “exchange”. I wish she would come back to posting. I miss our collaborations especially.
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I think you need to frame this piece, I kept looking at it yesterday. It’s iconic. Where is Nina and why isn’t she posting, Kerfe? Not sure she’s been around since I’ve been blogging.
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She stpped posting about a year ago…family issues and just general malaise. She works in a medical office, so that’s a source of stress now too. also her unemployed daughter moved home (again) awhile ago, and took over her workspace. We started memadtwo to share our work with each orher (we met in our 20s whule designing textilex)–emailing is just not the same. She lives in New Jersey so we don’t get together in person that often.
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I think you’ve done well in meeting the challenge, especially in going for the extra yard with Dante.
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Thanks Ken. I was looking through my writing journal, and these ideas just seemed to work for the form. And then when I found the collage in one of my old posts afterwards, I really felt there was some serendipity at work.
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Very nice and you chose to do the Dante tercet with rhyme. I am glad you took up the challenge. I found it very difficult. I can handle 10 syllables, but not 11 per line. So far I haven’t written four of those stanzas.
I like the thought of the spiraled room of that shell. And the trails of stars.
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Spirals and stars–the shells echo the milky way. So many parallels in creation.
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A challenging form, I am always dreaming of new journeys into the unknown. I can hear a conch shell calling to the writer and the readers as well.
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Thanks–yes shells and the ocean always call to me too.
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Beautiful!
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Thanks!
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I really do enjoy your writing style, Kerfe. The picture is also beautiful.
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Thanks Robbie. I always appreciate your kind words and support.
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I love these poems that swirl from the depths of the ocean to the stars and dip in and out of life.
I don’t hear 11 syllables in Dante’s lines to be honest though Dante’s Italian would have been pronounced differently to modern I imagine. In English the lines are usually iambic pentametre anyway.
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Thanks Jane. Oceans and stars…life.
I’m not very good at iambic pentameter, but syllables I can count. Translation never works for poetic forms, especially if you are trying to be literal. But all forms are puzzles in a way, and I enjoy playing with them at times.
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I agree about translation. To keep the form and especially if it involves rhymes, you have to adapt.
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Stunning artwork and poem, Kerfe! Shells and ocean-maps do conjure mysterious places, and I love the idea of the sky calling for someone to sail. I also love the progression from sea to sky to universe, all from the ‘secrets stored inside that spiraled room’.
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Thanks Kim. Shells are one of my favorite things to draw, and I love the ocean. I won’t get there this year, but hopefully in 2021…
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I feel the soul’s yearning for the mysteries beyond confined, earthly existence. Interesting collage to let the words float and circle inside and beyond. Nicely done, Kerfe. ❤
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Thanks Olga. We all have that yearning, but in some it is stronger.
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kaykuala
in the shadows of voices calling her back
to the secrets stored inside that spiraled room
The tenacity of a hold can be really effective to warrant the appearance of a loved one. Powerful write K
Hank
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Thanks Hank. Those voices can be strong.
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Beautiful!
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