The Ascent of a Dog Rose


By onemorething
- 199 reads
A dog rose has climbed
a cathedral for a thousand years,
searching for god; its roots
stretched through saints,
sap to each hooked thorn
that grapples with stone -
it may have outwitted time,
but it remains bloodless.
And in spite of briar and brimble,
greenfinches, hard-beaked,
and redwings, the oscine clutch
arched stems to thread the air
with music, woven prayers
for the crimson bread of rose hips.
We congregate, though godless,
we gather, and yet we are not lacking
love - faith is not the offspring
of devotion, but resilience,
and survival, and in this,
I understand religion.
Image is from here: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Illustration_Rosa_canina1.jpg#mw-jump-to-license
And on Twitter: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Familiar_wild_birds_(Plate_22)_(6032352373).jpg
https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Redwing_Grönvold.jpg
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Comments
I love that, faith is
I love that, faith is resilience and survival.
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I agree with Drew, a great
I agree with Drew, a great poem of resilience and survival and such a pretty wild flower too.
Jenny.
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Of many admired poems of
Of many admired poems of yours, I like this one the most. For me, this type of interpretive poem using symbolic and/or specific tendencies in plants, or distinct attitudes and actions in animals, their primitive characteristics, perhaps in the latter true representations of Man's earlier evolutionay stages (which is why fables used animals too), to give voice to how we experience the many aspects of life, adds another quality to the aesthetic beauty of your work. I'm never sure you yourself are aware of the profound metaphorical messaging in your poetry, presumably as part of the inspiration that caused it to be written. Although I suspect it's me being naive here. I tend to be a bit slow these days!
Anyway, a super poem, and much enjoyed.
Trevor
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yes, I believe this, too.
yes, I believe this, too. Belief in the rightness of nature makes all things cling to life, that whatever we suffer now will pass, just as winter does, or rain breaks the chains of drought.
I had to look up oscine :0)
Couldn't find brimble, is it another word for bramble?
Your poem makes a lovely image, is it a real place?
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Thank you for explaining
Thank you for explaining
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A wonderful rose (one of my
A wonderful rose (one of my favourites) - a springboard for this beautiful piece ( I agree with gothicman) - and what a fascinating series of comments too!
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