Ivory innocent too young to die;
forest whispers why. Verdure covers her.
Indigo eyes now sleep, no longer cry;
harsh life's antidote - a killing measure.
Celtic snakes carved on a wooden casket;
flute notes tie and entwine the branchéd wood.
Wrens dart trailing reeds through curving foulards
where eggs lie still in braided baskets.
Women lead processions into the copse
Chant haunting songs for resurrecting breath
Even-fall sifts lattice leaves, linnet calls.
Murmurs of incantations for the corpse;
shoes leave footprints upon the eager earth.
One bell tolls. Beyond the mottled light falls.
© Gay Reiser Cannon * All Rights Reserved
This is my link for dVerse Poets Open Link Night, week 44.
This is my link for dVerse Poets Open Link Night, week 44.
wow gay this is both...fascinating and haunting.. you took me right to that forest, the ritual, the songs and the flutes..and then that bell at the end gave me shivers...a wonderful write
ReplyDeleteSuch a lovely rendition of nature and passing ..love that you have included sound for the reader too, flute notes, the linnet, the single bell, such a great ambience is created. Peaceful and lovely.
ReplyDeletethis is rather haunting gay...rather like watching a funeral and being entranced by it...the carved casket, the chanting the music...i would stop and just watch for sure....nice imagery....
ReplyDeleteBeautifully evocative, Gay--the form sanctifies this wound in the world, and all of that green, juxtaposed with pale death--Indigo eyes now sleep, no longer cry,
ReplyDeleteharsh life's antidote - a killing measure.! xxxj
Wondeful imagery and so magical with the picture too.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful and haunting. This is one that will stay with me. Some great lines "flute notes tie and entwine the branchéd wood."
ReplyDeleteYes, echoing that beautiful and haunting...
ReplyDeletelove the tie-in to the photo, the visuals of braided, snake, green. the forest is my favorite place to be.
i felt like i was there, watching, as a tear slid down my cheek.
This completely appeals to my Celtic roots. The ethereal setting of that ancient forest- the silent hooded procession...the mist and the thunder rolling in the highlands- beautiful sonnet- seriously. I'm in awe if how you can just take any form- and fit any subject into it! Now that is skill! Right- I'm going to dig out my kilt.....mcpherson tartan of course! Awesome write Gay
ReplyDeleteOoooh. You've created such a feeling of time and place in this for me. I lived in Brittany for a few years and the graveyards there have this same eerie sense of mystery. Wonderful form, as well.
ReplyDeleteanother OOOH! from me Gay! - you really hit the nail on the head and into the casket with this one ... i know many Celtic snakes... i'm related to half of them - lol - cock full of atmosphere but light enough to sing a low lament...
ReplyDeletea great read Gay... no reading this week though (BOOOOOOO!)
loved last weeks
all the best :D
haunting, mystic, and almost mythic too
ReplyDeleteradiation rampage
chilling piece with a deep mythic presence... the haunting lines bring this to life.. and it punches you
ReplyDeleteGay, this is haunting and beautiful. Great write.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, and haunting.
ReplyDeleteA captivating piece, Gay. Very well done!
ReplyDeleteThis is very sad Gay specially if its the young and innocent death ~
ReplyDeleteLovely share ~
Gay! Absolutely fantastic...and so timely for me, as my goal for finishing a book that ISN'T poetry is A History of the Celts... synchronicity? I think so! You have captured the magic and the fierceness, delivering a stunning example of work. Love! Love! Love!
ReplyDeleteVery visual. Lovely!
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ReplyDeleteLovely, lovely--"eager earth" a fantastic contrast to the somber ritual.
ReplyDeleteA rich tapestry of magic, celtic lore and spookiness.. Love it!-- Jackie
ReplyDeleteYou have painted a haunting, mystical picture Gay, of ancient ritual and beautiful tradition, all pieced together in a perfect package of words all in perfect order!!
ReplyDeletebeautiful and lyrical, I was drawn into the copse from the first line. What a wonderful flow of intrigue, tradition and magic in a sorrowed theme.
ReplyDelete"Women lead processions into the copse
ReplyDeleteChant haunting songs for resurrecting breath...Murmurs of incantations for the corpse;
shoes leave footprints upon the eager earth."...
hauntingly beautiful...I love the way "copse" and "corpse" are connected...and the "eager earth."
Well if Stu gets out his tartan and Arron wrangles the snakes I will press my blue and green tartan (Graham) to attend. Grasped at my core that only the bagpipe reaches, a beautiful illuminated manuscript. Ne oublie.
ReplyDeleteThis is haunting, Gay. The one bell tolling sent chills down my spine.
ReplyDeleteThis has a very haunting feel!
ReplyDeleteThis poem made me feel like a witness. Haunting, yet mesmerizing.
ReplyDeletehttp://alexdissing.blogspot.com/2012/05/this-college-town.html?m=1
Haunting in deep, and that photo also leaves an imprint on my mind as well
ReplyDeletehttp://leahjlynn.wordpress.com/
I want to thank each of you for coming by and reading today. I did some research. The Celts felt as though each life was a step toward perfection. Most tribes preferred burial to cremation. They were buried sometimes with food stuffs, in delicately carved caskets but simply. They believed that all things should be returned easily and early to the earth. The ceremonies were simple too, usually done around twilight.
ReplyDeleteI hope you come by tomorrow for FormForAll. It should be a good challenge. I'll have a new poem up for Sprung Rhythm.
Lovely cadence and such beauty in the somber, sadness. You've captured it well. The last stanza is my favorite.
ReplyDeleteYou are making good use of your friend's gorgeous photographs.
ReplyDeleteI had trouble finding her at first. Maybe a direct link would make it easier for others to see her work.
Sorry for late comment. As always, reading your poems always rewards my need for well-crafted words. This sonnet is wonderful in how much of the ancient ways it evokes so deeply in detail and sentiment.
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