wings, late summer
By Di_Hard
- 4750 reads
Blue mussel shell halves
sea and sky, within
shining nacre clouds
water colours burst
bloom, rainbows prism-
prison free. Eight swifts
rejoicing in space
shrill, thrill, high of song
as distance (their blood
past Earth's magnet-pull)
slight as iron filings
or grit. From the porch
we watch, till pearls form
fresh from Heaven, fall.
~
As if the wall lives
gives birth, from all cracks
in sun warmed stone swarm
black dots of workers -
minds no longer tied
to footprint patterns
of the ant infront -
as ground crew bustle,
existence counting
down to this half hour
new hatched Queens' untried
wings catch rainbows from
untouchable light,
hard wired to flight through
egg cache, pupa creche
now in sudden space
turn, fine tune instinct
with reality
contact! each limb, stretch
possibilities,
Take Off!
But, I read
they chew their wings off
after mating, and
never fly again.
Guess the wall's inside.
~
Flowers' love letters
flickering, orange
painted ladies in
sun semaphore flocks
frail yet enduring
as first memories
of a kiss - winged through
city air and salt
bright-broke; far flew here
found unchecked grace, this
self-sown buddleia
in purple welcome
growing anywhere
we let it, like Hope.
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Comments
A beautifully mastered
A beautifully mastered perspective of what you are seeing Di. I imagine this is nature at its height from your garden.
Reminded me of those flying ants we've seen in our back garden, yet not as many as other years.
As always some great metaphors too.
Jenny.
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This starts of like a
This starts off like a painting I'd like to own and then zooms in like a drone on the microcosms which exist all around us. A wall may appear dead but on warm days watch carefully and it really does give birth. I remember holidaying a North Wales and seeing lizards in the stone walls. You have written with such a light touch, this piece is very visual to me. Those buddleias like hope, I've seen them growing out of black tunnels in Birmingham New Street station!
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I thought the beginning like
I thought the beginning like a painting and visualised you sitting on the doorstep seeing the scene of sky and sea. I wonder if the slight pull of the earth's magnetism guides them on their long migration?
And then turning to watch the tiny busyness on the ground. It's interesting that the queen, after enjoying flight, is 'content' to settle down again, grounded! And the pretty buddleia seems like a magnet to the butterflies.
Enjoyed the report of your noticing eyes! Rhiannon
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I'm not sure if there's
I'm not sure if there's anything complementary left to say that hasn't already been said Di -so I'll just add that I loved it too
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Beautiful diction, original
Beautiful diction, original phrases and compund words ('rainbows prism-prison free', 'salt bright-broke', 'sun semaphore flocks' - this invention and musicality is one of my favourite parts of your poetry) and control imbues this with life, movement, sound and colour; a vibrant, wonderful piece. Great work as ever Di
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This is our Poem of the Week
This is our Poem of the Week - Congratulations!
It's also our Facebook and Twitter Pick of the Day. Please share/retweet if you enjoyed it too.
Picture Credit:https://tinyurl.com/y5m3foxx
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How could I have missed this
How could I have missed this gem, Di? I am now glad that it appeared on the front page and I was able to savour its brilliance. I concur with the fulsome praise that the poem has received and congratulate you on being awarded the double honours of Pick of the Day and of the Week.
Luigi x
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Breath-taking imagery. Quite
Breath-taking imagery. Quite stunning. :)
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Di_Hard - I can see why this
Di_Hard - I can see why this earned the recognition it did. What more can I say, except; did anyone else have to Google nacre?
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