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.

1 July 2013

The Unseen

Dark moon.
I don't go outside.

I heard deliberate footsteps 
up the front stairs
just before the cats
banged to be let in.

When I opened the door
I half expected to see
a man standing with them.

Instead, before entering 
they turned, looking back 
down the empty steps.

Last night I felt a presence
standing behind my chair.
Today I learn it was that time
my cousin John died.

I don't go out
in the cold, wet dark tonight
but I do say my thanks
to the Goddess.

One way and another
She is with me.


Submitted for dVerse Poetics: fantasy and reality blend. (Supposed to be mirages of summer heat — but it's winter here, which blurs reality in its own way.)

By -
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29 comments:

  1. Res's Writing and Poetry1 July 2013 at 17:09

    Lovely, Rosemary, just lovely! xxxx

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  2. J Cosmo Newbery1 July 2013 at 20:35

    Very atmospheric.
    (Stay warm. Stay safe. Send teh cats out.)

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    1. Rosemary Nissen-Wade1 July 2013 at 20:46

      Thanks, mate. It's so very wet tonight, I don't think even the cats want to go out. But yes, I'm warm and safe.

      Delete
  3. Lisa A. Williams6 July 2013 at 11:10

    Sometimes we just feel the presence of someone we've loved and lost. This is beautiful!

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  4. Madeleine Begun Kane8 July 2013 at 16:46

    Wow, well done!

    So sorry for your loss!

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  5. kaykuala13 July 2013 at 18:46

    As long one is happy,safe and warm all others are secondary. Best wishes for your revision Ma'am. A sage once said, the fastest way to do anything is to do one thing at a time. Wonderful take Rosemary and sorry to hear of your loss!

    Hank

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    Replies
    1. Rosemary Nissen-Wade14 July 2013 at 00:17

      Thanks, Hank - and also for the wise advice of the sage. :)

      Delete
  6. Mary14 July 2013 at 08:41

    Those unseen visitors can be quite eerie, but less so when one has an explanation for their presence. It is good that at these times you feel your Goddess with you, and that this lessens the fear.

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    1. Rosemary Nissen-Wade14 July 2013 at 08:46

      I'm seldom afraid of spirits. (I'm used to them.) Living intruders might scare me! I thank the Goddess both for protecting me, and for the fact that my loved ones may visit, whether to say goodbye or whatever.

      Delete
  7. Maggie Grace14 July 2013 at 08:45

    I love how you wrote this...the cats seeming to know someone is there before you do. I don't know if you found this comforting or unsettling. That kind of reality (?)...sense...is real even if invisible. The Goddess with you...made me smile. Security.

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    1. Rosemary Nissen-Wade14 July 2013 at 08:48

      'One way and another' - with me in either circumstance.

      Delete
  8. Brian Miller14 July 2013 at 09:14

    it is in its own way, for sure...esp alone in the house...i hope the goddess is watching out for you...you know...there has to be reassurance in that...

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  9. Anonymous14 July 2013 at 09:20

    Very lovely poem.>KB

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  10. Truedessa14 July 2013 at 10:27

    Sometimes, we learn thing through the spiritual realm..sorry for the loss..it is good that your guardian is watching over you.

    Peace & Light...

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  11. Anonymous14 July 2013 at 11:12

    I like how you resolve the eeriness into something familiar and lost yet timeless. Beautiful.

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  12. Kathy Reed14 July 2013 at 11:20

    Good luck with your prose...it's always good to slow down a little with the ....one gets a fresh outlook... this poem reminded me of incidents I've experienced....not spooky, but reassuring ;_)

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  13. Anonymous14 July 2013 at 11:51

    The feeling of a presence around is so well portrayed in your works.. Lovely work!

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  14. Claudia14 July 2013 at 17:33

    oh heck...this sent shivers down my spine...feeling the presence of things that are not really there...the parts with the cats turning...somehow good to know though that we feel more than we really see

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  15. brudberg14 July 2013 at 18:51

    This presence and the cats almost make it like something from Poe. I really liked it, and the goddess ... a positive note at the end.

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  16. Laurie Kolp14 July 2013 at 22:02

    Eerie... but a comfortable presence at that. I've felt the same before.

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  17. Anonymous14 July 2013 at 22:16

    spooky and well written!

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  18. Anonymous15 July 2013 at 01:10

    so beautiful. it is nice to see someone not shying away from ghosts... i enjoyed the positive vibe in this one. isn't it wonderful when they come to visit?
    ~Miriam

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    1. Rosemary Nissen-Wade16 July 2013 at 15:50

      I've been told I am a 'clearing-house' for spirits - in some way my energy facilitates their moving on - so I am often aware of them but don't aways know them. I like it when loved ones visit.

      Delete
  19. LaTonya Baldwin15 July 2013 at 06:45

    Goddess is good, all the time.

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  20. Anonymous15 July 2013 at 13:27

    Eerie. Cats are very perceptive to presences. Very nice poem. -Mike

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  21. Rosemary Nissen-Wade16 July 2013 at 15:51

    Many thanks to you all for taking the trouble to comment.

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  22. Heidi16 July 2013 at 22:46

    I like the supernatural elements and the sweet ending.

    ReplyDelete

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