The Meeting
By
De-tangling my feet from the rusted chains
Confining anchor
Setting myself free at last
Shaking loose, pulling away from the seaweed sludge
The bottom of the lake
Cementing me to the mud and the sand and the creatures
Who became accustomed to me,
Feeling the pain in my feet and my legs,
Coming from inactivity,
Arms becoming fins
Pushing up, swimming away
From the floating currents
Keeping me an underwater prisoner
For what seemed like centuries, and may have been
Since the air hurts my lungs and my webbed feet and my eyes
As it all becomes clear who I really am,
Water floods my eyes and my nose,
Shrill sounds piercing and ringing in my ears,
Hammering, clattering, shattering noises
Clamor my brain
With only a thought of wasted time.
Cornflower Comets
By
Singing on the rooftop to
His sweetheart in another land
Another realm
Another dilapidated palace of dreams
Living the anguish and disappointment
Of separated hearts
Separated centuries
Separated languages
Languished in the heat of the day
And the terror of the sun
And the purple howls of
A crying fallen star that crosses their lives
Passes through time
And cuts through any crevasse
While the butter and the flour sizzle on her hands,
She ponders the chill on her neck
And the unusual song in her mind
That first one, wow! I kept wondering if he had died - and then the ending got me. Very powerful. And the second one is so sweet and tender. I love that moment of the boy and girl agreeing to meet again when they're grown. Really nice work!
I loved both of these in different ways. Why? could have been in Beyond the Dark Room. In many ways it's the thoughts any abused woman has and it's very disturbing. I loved the images in both and especially in No Umbrella Needed: "Diamond droplets of pittered-patter-pleasure".
Oh, Pearl. "No Umbrella Needed" is just wonderful. Such powerful images here, in both poems. Excellent work.
Really remarkable poems, Pearl, capturing very different lives and meanings of love. Agree with Misky that "Why" was disturbing and yet impossible to take the eyes off of.
Pearl, Misky said it so well! I had a similar reaction to the first poem but could not find the words to describe my response. Thanks Misky!
Dear Misky and Pat - thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and to comment. It means a great deal to me. Misky - of course I am delighted that you were pulled along, do not intend to disturb except when material itself is disturbing and thrilled that the second poem was 'unfrazzling." Patricia ... "powerful" is perhaps one of my favorite adjectives. Thank you so much. I WELCOME ALL COMMENTS... I you stop by and peek take a moment if you possibly can to leave a reaction. We write because we have to ... We publish because we like to be read (at least IMHO). :)
The first one, "Why" is very disturbing, and I almost found it difficult to read ... yet I was pulled along with it against my will. An astonishing and disturbing piece, Pearl. The second one was a welcome relief from the way the first left me frazzled. I could actually feel my pulse dropping to normal again as I read it.
Powerful poems, Pearl!