Not a body or voice–
something is listening,
filling me with prescience,
nourishment, shelter, rest,
warmth, an embrace. Time and
space have no horizons.
Who knows what is
hidden—earthbound
or beyond—singing
in parallel time?
And where am I?
I can’t comprehend,
can’t contain this feeling–
it is always spilling
out and then refilling
with gratitude–I just
let silence reflect me,
imprinted on the land
Thanks Sue.
KL Caley is continuing Sue Vincent’s #writephoto, beginning with Sue’s original photo, below. I came to Sue’s photo prompts later, so this is my first response to the image. It being Saturday, after I painted my watercolors, I asked the Oracle to help with my poem. We know she has Sue on her mind, as all of us who have been touched by her do.
come through
this between wind
shaded in green light
breathe deep the spirit earth
beneath stonesongs
of pure listening
ask to follow rootpaths
as they seed birdgardens
rest full and true
feel the ancient how
of to be
the geography of water
parallels and reconfigures
the complexity of the heart–
light, a fissured mirror, reflects
memories in recurrent waves–
the complexity of the heart
parallels and reconfigures
the geography of water
For Colleen’s Tanka Tuesday poet’s choice this week I’ve written an octo poem which is a revision of a poem I published four years ago for Sue Vincent’s photo prompt, spring, above. You can see the original post here (a shadorma, of course). What’s interesting to me is how wildly different my painting is from the photo.
Also, though I like the way this painting looks, I never followed up and did any more with the idea. I need my gouache which is in storage, but it’s got me thinking. Perhaps to be continued.
Fractals can’t be measured in traditional ways. And so it is with springs, memories, and hearts.
suddenly you open,
falling back into what
was ere, senses bare, taut,
returned, stepped through–
like dusk that silences
the sun, rooted in deep
layers of shadowed sleep,
awaiting night–
the point of transfer is
never clear—the threshold
disappears—uncontrolled,
adrift and lost–
each moment lingers too
long—endings shrink, tied fast
to darkness, floating past
what can’t be seen–
hints of color, mirage
of movement just beyond–
all sense of distance gone–
who owns this fate?
For Sue Vincent’s photo prompt, above, and Colleen’s Tanka Tuesday, an abhanga using synonyms for loose and tight.
Will you reply when called?
What is your name? The sky
refuses to say why
you hold the tree.
Why have you conscripted
this perch among the dead?
Abide with me instead
amidst the green.
Have my ghosts entrusted
your wings with messages–
voices of presages
destined for me?
Immovable, silent,
a silhouette distilled–
I seek but am unfilled–
inside stripped clean.
For Sue Vincent’s photo prompt above, and Colleen’s Tanka Tuesday, where she has introduced the poetic form Abhanga. I like it, but I think I need to experiment more with it to get the rhythm right.
Also linking to earthweal Open Link Weekend.
As you may know, Crow and I are old friends.
How far, how
long? Is forgotten
gone? Today
can stretch out
ahead and behind towards both
retreat and escape.
Form has no
real boundaries—light
shifts, guarding
waves wielded
in ways we misunderstand
and fail to protect.
Things change when
we try to measure
them—they be
come contained,
finite, solid, orderly–
ordinary—fixed.
A shadorma chain for Sue Vincent’s photo prompt, above, and Colleen’s Tanka Tuesday words past and present.
Even changing the orientation of an image reconfigures how you see it.
Additional inspiration courtesy of Marcy Erb and Tom Waits.
To open,
join opposites.
Receive what is given.
Let the unexpected pathway
unfold.
This poem was first posted in 2018, inspired by Sue Vincent’s photo prompt, above, and I Ching 31, which appeared in the envelope collage I did based on a linear print by Joan Mitchell.
I read many interpretations of this hexagram, and tried to distill what I thought was its essential message.
Shelter encloses, but it opens, too.
For earthweal, open link weekend.
I wanted to reblog my response to an old prompt of Sue Vincent’s in honor of the New Moon this weekend. The Oracle had something to say about it too.
In my original post, I explained my inspiration: I discovered this week that the plural for luna mare (moon sea) is lunar maria …is that wonderful, or what? So when I saw Sue Vincent’s Luna photo prompt, above, I had to incorporate it into my response.
Here’s the poem I wrote for Sue’s photo:
The arc of
lunar mountains, edged
dark with bays
of basalt…
Maria!—your names reflect
as mirrors to fill
with sorrow,
forgetfulness, snakes,
storms and fear.
Can we find
the sea of tranquility
and sail into dreams?
between is and if only
we listen
as earth grows restless
breathing wild ancient song
beneath murmuring leaves
climbing windshine
over rock rooted paths
wandering through the hidden secrets
of the moon’s dark night
And of course this song is still and always appropriate.
You can see 14 other interpretations of “Maria” here.
Also linking to Earthweal Open Link Weekend.
ghost ships rise
along the crescent,
shadowing
their moonmasts–
sails blurred blue into oceans–
dusk stilled into night
For Sue Vincent’s photo prompt of August 20, below.
I posted my original painting on memadtwo with the Oracle’s meditation on Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I was dissatisfied with it and intensified the dark for the painting above. I had written the poem at that time as well (even though I was offline), and it complements the Oracle’s words I think.
The crescent moon circle was taken from one of my photos, but I think I should have glued it down. A small task I will get to soon.
Also sending good wishes to Sue as she deals with a serious illness.
K. 