April's perfection
breathing essence of strawberries
the maple showers me
the maple showers me
a stream of samaras
pirouetting on the breeze
they dance along the garden walk
then I encounter a crowd
women knitting, embroidering ̶ with children playing
and men discoursing the day’s events
I struggle to pass by
the group surrounds me ̶ squeezing closer
no gaps to move through
the group surrounds me ̶ squeezing closer
no gaps to move through
the chartreuse grass glistens ̶ dew dressed
Looking up, I see only trunks
of trees
tight forming a stockade
tight forming a stockade
I look skyward to see a leafy canopy
stretching high above
I seem to shrink
streams of light filter through leaves
lifting me as though I were
a mote of dust
suspended in a dizzying rise
my heart pounds Feeling the rush
I ride a single beam
an eternity passes
I am floating toward
infinite blueness
suddenly I see a vast shawl
of iridescent lace
spread among the branches
exquisite
in design
jewels caught at the cross threads
at once I stick
jewels caught at the cross threads
at once I stick
my redness spreads
I am my beating heart
a throbbing ruby
encased
glittering by sun
glowing by moon
endless seasons pass
I freeze pink
I melt cerise
one autumn
as the foliage echoes
my crimson song
a cardinal
plucks me from the web
and we fly free
Originally composed for the article on Beat poetry; however having second doubts about it filling the bill although it is rather surreal.
© Gay Reiser Cannon * October 9, 2013
All Rights Reserved
This is so beautiful. The part "looking skyward a leafy canopy stretches high above I seem to shrink" brought back memories for me.
ReplyDeleteLovely, Gay. The colors and the imagery with which you associate them work beautifully.
ReplyDeleteThank you Kathryn and Maureen. I published this expecting to have my article on the Beat poets up tomorrow. However, it's been delayed until next week. Not sure if this qualifies as a beat poem. At least I have a little time to think about it.
ReplyDeleteoh wow..i love it gay...love the images... the cardinal in the close there...plucks me from the web..flying free... so awesome...oh and i loved the essence of strawberries as well.. can feel it on my tongue...smiles
ReplyDeleteVery graphic--wonderful imagery and use of color.
ReplyDeleteLovely images here, Gay. Definitely unreal /surreal. I felt as if I was floating right through your poem....Smiles.
ReplyDeleteLoved the 2nd stanza passionately; /a stream of spinnerets/pirouetting on the breeze/they dance along the garden wall/ my first reaction to the tree-borne shawl of lace was it was a sticky spider web, and nature was going let a wicked arachnid plunge your lovely reminiscences into a different kind of food for thought.
ReplyDeleteWell I've been toying with spider imagery for another poem lately. I'm pretty sure spinnerets are NOT the little flying seeds sprinkled by maple trees but it seemed an apt name and a pointer to the symbolic spider (whose spinnerets do spin the silk of spider webs) spinning the fantastical web in the trees where souls become their birthstones until they are freed (or somehow digested I suppose.)
Deletereally lovely personification...our making yourself it..and the transformation through the seasons until your time...rather dreamy to me....smiles....
ReplyDeleteThanks Brian - it was meant to convey that in a surreal sort of dream like passage. Glad you caught it. I fear vagueness may reign over ambiguity here. I never know if my poems do what I want them to. (sigh).
DeleteSuch wonderful array of images... I could feel the sensations and the ending is just perfect. :-)
ReplyDelete-HA
Your imaginarium is radiant with color, light, and heart, beautifully done! I am really looking forward to your article.
ReplyDeleteThanks Anna. One thing I noted about the Beats is they were poetically informed, and most well educated. They did not disregard classical poetry, or classical ideas regarding poetry nor did they abandon metaphor altogether. What struck me in many of the poets I read was their beautiful use of language as well as other poetic tools - and I wanted to use bright words to describe a very dark experience creating a sort of paradox at the center of it. Not entirely sure if it succeeded.
DeleteThis is just awesome poetry.. As I know nothing about beat-poetry I have no idea it it fits the bill.. it's surreal like a dream (though the colors could indicate hallucination).. I look forward to Thursday...
ReplyDeleteThanks Björn. Hadn't planned the hallucination angle - but clearly it can be looked at that way. ..ha I might have succeeded after all...sort of like "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds"...that wasn't meant to be hallucinogenic either but we read it that way, didn't we?
DeleteStrong imagery and a good sense of language Gay. >KB
ReplyDeleteWell my metaphors may be muddy - but it's always imagery for me. Thanks KB
ReplyDeleteI love the images here, Gay. Beautifully penned.
ReplyDeleteNot being familiar with the Beat poets, I can't comment as to whether this fits with their style, but it is certainly image rich, dreamy and occasionally disturbing.
ReplyDeleteVery dreamy & surreal specially this part:
ReplyDeletemy redness spreads
I am my beating heart
a throbbing ruby
From what I have read of them, I think some of them dabbled in drugs, meditation like zen. Don't know much about it so looking forward to your post Gay ~
Grace
transporting, Gay, ethereal and personal ~ M
ReplyDeletelove the iridescent lace shawl complete with jewels & "floating toward infinite blueness," but most of all, the cardinal plucking the poet free... to fly - leaves me longing
ReplyDeletebeautiful poem
As I read this I felt the fragmented pieces of a journey lifting into another realm of awareness..really enjoyed this..wonderfully written..
ReplyDeletean eternity passes
I am floating toward
infinite blueness
A ravishing read Gay! totally seductive and engrossing. spellbinding, drawing me in as I can feel the excitement building and flowing with your imagination racing to the next delicious point of wonderful reference. so much colour and light! making for a real treat and a dazzling display of poetic plumage.
ReplyDeleteall the best.
I absolutely Love this! I could see all the scenes! :-) Very well done!!
ReplyDeleteJust a note - the maple seeds or maple keys or "what I called spinnerets" are actually called samaras. Thought I ought to research that little bit of information for myself. Ha!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful imagery and phrasing Gay, each line a diamond. Thank you for such a delightful read.
ReplyDeleteHey Gay, hadn't seen this-- it is very surreal, and very cool, I love the transformations through the women knitting--as if getting down to every stitch. K.
ReplyDeleteLove it. Love the parallelism of the spider web and women knitting. Björn is spreading rumours that Thursday's post is going to be a treat...looking forward to it! :-)
ReplyDeleteLove this. So well crafted to read and visually appealing as well.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful images! Fly on!
ReplyDeleteSo is how time flies...... Awesome personification here
ReplyDeleteSuch exquisitely painted words!
ReplyDeleteThis is crazy good! I love the form too. The cascading tercets is just brilliant. Your narrative walks downward leading us through the place of your musing. Two thumbs up!!
ReplyDeleteendless seasons pass
ReplyDeleteI freeze pink
I melt cerise
Gosh, golly! What a trip. I read as if mesmerized. I believe that some of the beats led people to see way beyond the dark little reading rooms into spring again, then to fall.
I want to thank each of you for your comments. It was gratifying to know that you thought the poem filled the bill and succeeded. Appreciate your taking the time to read and comment here so much!!!
ReplyDeleteA mote of dust, in elegance find,
ReplyDeletesuch rare heights in heated climb...
And if to fall near heart of mine
let it be Lord, of Autumn kind...
What a truly lovely poem... any of life's walks are better when ending in Autumn....!
I love this, the chartreuse grass covered in dew...lovely. It reminds me very much of paintings by Australian artist Fred Williams with those trunks of trees forming a tight stockades...very nice indeed.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful visual journey towards the light .
ReplyDelete