Swallows swoop the sky at sunset,
ride currents on curved wings, slice the firmament.
Do they await return, like me, or, because of my amazement,
write sky script meassages with hidden meanings,
that mark how far apart we are? Me, an earth-bound being unable to fly
or follow instincts toward home, they who own the sky.
My wait has been long.
Written for Grace's prompt yesterday which introduced the poetry of Claribel Alegria to the Imaginary Gardens with Real Toads. One of Grace's suggestions was to take a line of her poetry and use it in our own poem. I took two lines: "because of my amazement" from her poem Rain and "My wait has been long." from Sorrow (after reading Kerry's comment). I'm a little slower so I post it today for open link Monday on their third anniversary.
I took the photo in a garden in Ireland.
My wait has been long.
Written for Grace's prompt yesterday which introduced the poetry of Claribel Alegria to the Imaginary Gardens with Real Toads. One of Grace's suggestions was to take a line of her poetry and use it in our own poem. I took two lines: "because of my amazement" from her poem Rain and "My wait has been long." from Sorrow (after reading Kerry's comment). I'm a little slower so I post it today for open link Monday on their third anniversary.
I took the photo in a garden in Ireland.
Such a beautiful poem! It has the feel of a sevenling (without the final line) - both stanzas come out with a strong description as seen with a poet's eye.
ReplyDeleteI was unfamiliar with a sevenling until I read your comment and looked it up. I like it and I added a seventh line as a narrative summary, one from Alegria's poems: Sorrow. Thanks, Kerry.
DeleteThis really is a beautiful write, has such a great 'feel' to it.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kathryn, and thanks for coming by.
DeleteI often look at birds in flight and grieve I have no wings....a beautiful piece
ReplyDeleteWe've had them in great flocks in our area flying their graceful flights just off our balcony with the mountains in the background. I've been watching them.
Deletelove the thought of them writing hidden messages in sky script....
ReplyDeleteon how far apart we are def gives it some weight as well...
nicely done mary
It's how they appear as they swoop left and right like cursive flights.
DeleteI love the idea of the sevenling form with that final line from Claribel ~ You have captured the essence of waiting, those that own the sky, and those that are earth bound ~ Lovely work, thank you ~
ReplyDeleteWishing you happy week ~
I appreciated being introduced to a new poet and a new poetry form so thanks for the prompt.
DeleteThis is absolutely gorgeous. I wish that I had written it.
ReplyDeleteHigh praise indeed, I thank you.
DeleteFlying would be such a release.... Birds are specially blessed i feel... :)
ReplyDeleteIt does seem so attractive...
Delete"slice the firmament"... "write sky script messages" are just two of the beautiful phrases that jumped out at me. Lovely, lovely write.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment and for stopping by.
DeleteJust a terrific poem, Mary. The slicing of the firmament is so like swallows as is the sky script. And the longing so palpable. Terrific. K.
ReplyDeleteIt's just what they do, isn't it? Oh yes, the longing...
DeleteThere is a sense of eternal forces at work here--the simple, declarative style works magic.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you picked up on that. They came every evening for about three weeks and seemed to be harbingers of things I needed to understand better.
Delete