I ... entered the poem of life, whose purpose is ... simply to witness the beauties of the world, to discover the many forms that love can take. (Barabara Blackman in 'Glass After Glass')

These poems are works in progress and may be updated without notice. Nevertheless copyright applies to all writings here and all photos (which are either my own or used with permission). Thank you for your comments. I read and appreciate them all, and reply here to specific points that seem to need it — or as I have the leisure. Otherwise I reciprocate by reading and commenting on your blog posts as much as possible.

9 February 2013

Two for the Price of One

(In response to a prompt about building up a poem with an extra word in every line. Rather than attempting to sustain this indefinitely, I made some variations.)



Practical Problems

Even
someone old
with mild dementia
and limited leg movement
can get behind your back
to dab disinfectant on insect bites
or scratch those pesky itches for you,
the ones you just can't quite reach yourself.

Alas,
that person
has moved on 
and gone beyond limitations —
his own, that is — freed.
Of course I'm glad for him;
wouldn't have had him linger and suffer.
But I'm left with itches I can't scratch.


Earth Walker

Deliberately
she describes
a huge arc,
with long, slow steps
which she paces in silence.

'I have two days,' she says,
'in which to listen and find within
the pattern that I must trace, walking here,
imprinting an invisible symbol on this piece of land.
It will be a portal, hidden here in these hills.'

Hidden there in her hills, we leave her practising intently.
There is nothing we can see to do there,
nothing that might help her in any way.
Our inner vision does not show us
such images, nor can we hear;
not as she hears, anyway. 

Sometimes, though, I wonder
who traverses portals —
entering, or 
leaving?

Submitted for Poets United's Verse First: One Word at a Time
Also submitted for dVerse Poetics — The Art of Letting Go

22 comments:

  1. Excellent sharings here, Rosemary. I like the double meaning in the first one of those 'itches.' And the second - yes, you have me reflecting on portals now, the comings and the going, from where to where!

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    1. Oh thank you, Mary. I wasn't sure if anyone would pick up on that double meaning; I'm glad to know you did.

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  2. I love the building up ~ winding down of your second piece. A great alteration of the prompt.
    And the first... the first is divine. So much meaning, depth, heart.

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    1. Thanks Kim, glad you approve! I did have fun with it. :)

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    2. Actually, have just gone back and changed the second one, putting the last verse break one line later. It makes the verses less even, but not too noticeably I hope, and I think makes more sense in terms of meaning.

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  3. Wow ... I love this ... the flow is smooth and elegant !!!

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  4. Oh, Dear,

    Visually, these are intriguing. Content-wise, clearly, you are not just writing about what you know, but what you've lived. That's the best writing.

    Artistically, your lines are sparse, strong, captivating. Stay with this, dear heart, mining so much from this time.

    I so appreciate your work and following your blog.

    Peace,
    Diane

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    1. Thank you, dear Diane. Yes, I'll be staying with it; it's all I can do. And, as I have said before — how on earth do people cope if they're not poets?

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  5. both powerful pieces rosemary...the first one really touched me...it's in the small things often that we realize how much we miss someone...

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    1. Yes, and there are so many little things! Thanks for your kind comment, Claudia.

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  6. mmm...both felt...the first in particular resonated...happy for them but also the practical side of missing them as well...like claudia said its those moments we remember...

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  7. Your poem pulls at my heart. It has opened my eyes to thinking about the every day things that one gets used to with another.

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  8. ...i enjoyed them both ma'am... the first one's quite fun but oh tugs deeply hard... and i find the second really intriguing... smiles...

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  9. So touching, dear friend... bless you.

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    1. Thanks Laurie; blessings are always welcome! (I guess you didn't intend the pun on touching, lol?)

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  10. Portals -- out in the woods. An interesting image for me.

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  11. intimate pain,
    and an expressive journey
    both powerful poems
    hug

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