The days were long,
smelling of blueberry scones,
pining for bluebird sightings.
A pileated woodpecker
kept time as, chapter by verse,
I journeyed otherwhere--
Nights were longer,
wrestling dragons for first--
only to lie with you.
Had I numbered all the trees,
draped a quilt on every fence,
I still would not find my way back.
 | ||
| photo by Marian Kent |
Mary asked the Real Toads to write about fences, and include a photo, if possible. I took this photo years ago. This poem is my response upon seeing the photo again after all these years.
while the day is bright and sunny in the photo, I can feel the heaviness of whatever it made you think of.
ReplyDeleteWrestling dragons, pining for bluebirds (which is always an image of happiness for me) and waiting for the path to show itself.
I like to think this time of your life is long past, that the wrestling , pining and hoping is over , instead it's just a fence, just a bright sunny day.
as always, I love your words.
If the path is one back to childhood, to lost relatives or friends, the anguish of not finding the path back couldn't be more poignant. Some fences demarcate periods of our lives now over for good.
ReplyDeletejust sigh, I can feel this.
ReplyDeleteAh yes, we all keep adding chapters, don't we? And it is only through pictures such as this that we can, for a time, revisit those old times. (And I DO like that fence photo!)
ReplyDeletei LOVE that fence!
DeleteThis is just really beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI love the fence in the photo. A real oldtime rancher kind of fence. Beautiful, but so sad that it made you sad, Marian.
ReplyDeleteK
coolest fence. don't see them so often, but i love it!
DeleteAmazing, Marian. Love the vivid images throughout. Wherever did you find this fence?
ReplyDeletethat fence is in west-central Pennsylvania :)
DeleteI love the photo, and so resonate with the emotions........beautiful.
ReplyDeleteSplit rail fences are my favorite! Your photography pairs perfectly with the heartfelt words of your poem.
ReplyDeleteLove those fences...and love your poem!
ReplyDeleteLove your poem very much!
ReplyDeletewrapped in solitude
The sunny fence in opposition to the poem's tone is quite moving....home can be hard to find and sometimes we can never return to it.
ReplyDeleteOh, Marian, the last stanza deliciously displays your talent.
ReplyDeleteSometimes we just need to move n' build a new fence, new view~
ReplyDeletePowerful writing~
This is really neat. I like the last section, especially the notion of draping quilts over the fences.
ReplyDeleteI love the photo, and your poem leaves me with a sense of longing.
ReplyDeleteI am really quite crazy about the whole poem... everything but the last two lines of the third stanza... it just throws me off. The details and imagery are delightful and really drew me in. It's the type of writing I strive for and rarely achieve.
ReplyDeletethanks so much for all your comments, friends. Margaret, thanks in particular for pointing out those lines that don't resonate as well as others. i thought so, too... trying to describe something that defies description.
ReplyDelete