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.

24 October 2016

Burning

When the flame stretches a tendril of light
and catches the circling moth, there's a flare,
a sudden incandescence, briefly bright ...
then it's as if nothing was ever there –
only silence, only the empty air.

Of you and me, I didn't know which one
was moth, and which flame – until you were gone.
Mourning that death, I thought you the moth, who
in that blazing moment, vanishing, shone.
Then I saw how caught I was. Then I knew.


Linked to Poets United's Poetry Pantry #332

On 12 Dec. 2016 it was announced that this poem came second in the recent Dizain Challenge at Poetic Asides. To read the beautiful winning poem by Jane Shlensky and see the Top 10 list, click here.

27 comments:

  1. I like this form Rosemary: you have a deft touch with it :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. I am mainly doing so many because of the Poetic Asides challenge – and in the process have discovered that this form seems to suit me. But after October ends, I expect I'll give it a rest for a while.

      Delete
  2. In your sadness there is joy
    There was* a love
    *is

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This one's imagined, for the purposes of exploring metaphor. (Years of practising haiku made me a bit deficient in metaphor!)

      Delete
  3. This is very beautiful. I especially love the closing lines and the sudden awareness. Very cool.

    ReplyDelete
  4. blazing, burning moment...love this poem...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh, wow, Rosemary. This is beautiful and profound.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Nothing could be closer than that link. Nothing. Wow.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow.. I think this is one of my recent favourites of the poems you link...loved it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a candescent end - sometimes we can only know after

    ReplyDelete
  9. then it's as if nothing was ever there –
    only silence, only the empty air

    To discover emptiness can be most discouraging. One often wonders whether it is meant to hint at something!

    Hank

    ReplyDelete
  10. Beautiful! Sometimes we learn about things after they have occured.. love the wisdom in this, Rosemary❤️

    ReplyDelete
  11. The flame of love revealing, and the warmth of love staying, even though the one who must leave vanishes. this is magnificent;

    much love...

    ReplyDelete
  12. to be moth or flame, perhaps one can be both or either depending on perspective.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Your second stanza is marvelous, and thought-provoking. Perhaps it is good to burn out in a great ball of flame??

    ReplyDelete
  14. This is beautifully written Rosemary--I loved it!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Losing someone you love is a little (sometime huge) death in itself, and you become a changed person. Beautifully written Rosemary.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Another beautiful tribute to your life and love... looking forward to your new creative release... :)
    ZQ

    ReplyDelete
  17. Very nice. Love the ending. Well done...bkm

    ReplyDelete
  18. Poof! A flame of glory? Dust to dust? I don't think I've ever seen a moth disintegrate in flame. I will watch for that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I only ever saw it once, as a child – but it was memorable!

      Delete
  19. This is like a lost, but found in a circle.

    Elizabeth

    ReplyDelete
  20. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between the hunter and the hunted, or between the moth and the flame.

    ReplyDelete
  21. That childhood memory sounds transcendent - and you have rendered it so beautifully. And congratulations on your achievement ... a lovely, mesmerizing piece.

    ReplyDelete
  22. This is so SO profound.

    Vera

    ReplyDelete

Comments are moderated and will be visible after being approved by the blog owner. If you can only comment anonymously, please include your name in the comment, just so I know who's talking to me.