Swimmer
I face the wind;
Currents of time
That score my brow
With textured text;
Memories that run
Downstream toward falls
That plunge headlong
Into inkwells of darkness.
But with nib of sustenance,
And thoughts once fought,
I break the surface
Of blackness to light.
Where each stroke I take
Reduces life’s liquid
To a mist, as it changes
From text to thought.
And with my arms quiet,
Devoid of the motion
That once pushed at rivers,
I bathe in the now still wind.
Currents of time
That score my brow
With textured text;
Memories that run
Downstream toward falls
That plunge headlong
Into inkwells of darkness.
But with nib of sustenance,
And thoughts once fought,
I break the surface
Of blackness to light.
Where each stroke I take
Reduces life’s liquid
To a mist, as it changes
From text to thought.
And with my arms quiet,
Devoid of the motion
That once pushed at rivers,
I bathe in the now still wind.
posted by Lhombre at 12:14 PM
10 Comments:
Hola, Lhombre! I'm pleased that my dream poem made you think of this. It strikes me, too, as bearing a similarity as a collage of images, emotions, memories. But it feels almost the inverse — though also tied to memories, mine was something briefly felt and lost — yours seems something found in the losing. This uses beautiful and strong imagery... You can't push a river/wind, you can't force yourself against a current, you relax into it and the river/wind stops pushing back... I'm wondering about the text and inkwells of blackness — the writing of the currents of time or the writing of your resistance to the currents of time? And is following the memories dangerous or are they memories that are painful in themselves? (I may be being too linear here for something that is not at all linear!) And what was the nib of sustenance? It's a source of a new kind of writing but I'm left wanting to know more about what enabled this change of heart, change of outlook. There may not be room here, but maybe there's a way to enlarge on it or clarify it a little.
I bathe in the now still wind sounds so luxurious. A strong finish. Gracias por invitarme a leer esto poema! I love its richness, its honest tenderness and strength.
Thanks, too, for the suggestion to look at your website. I've done some reading, will have time for more later. For the moment, I've got to scramble to other things. I don't know where to put my thoughts on Diptych! They're rather long.
A conversation to be continued... hasta luego...
See now, I'm rereading this a seeing the image of text even differently... :-)
"and seeing" - sorry
mb: Thank you for the insightful comments. One of the subjects in the poem is simply about the act of writing poetry. I guess I see it also as a way of living. There is more I would like to discuss about how it relates to what you said regarding it being the "inverse" of your poem. I think you are very correct. More later!
The "nib" by the way is the nib on a pen.
But... you probably knew that.
Hola, chico, Yes, I did know the nib is on a pen (but was it for writing or drawing, I wasn't sure)... it was its relation to sustenance that I was wondering about. (Does the sustenance inform the pen, or does the pen access the sustenance and what IS the sustenance, I wondered...) But then, you see, I am slow sometimes to comprehend. After I read it again, I realized, that there is a sense of the writing (and maybe artwork too?) being sustenance itself, as well as a vehicle for breaking through to the light. So with the nib, and with thoughts previously resisted, the light becomes seen. And then, with the stroke (of the pen, of the arms, both) liquid becomes mist... the effort/resistance/struggle reducess... I know that writing can be a spiritual act sometimes, almost a form of prayer, the act of writing a poem, for me. It centers me, it allows contact with my deeper inner self, with the deeper inner infinities. So I began to see your poem and metaphors in that light. Is that true for you?
Please, yes, say more.
"I know that writing can be a spiritual act sometimes, almost a form of prayer, the act of writing a poem, for me. It centers me, it allows contact with my deeper inner self, with the deeper inner infinities. So I began to see your poem and metaphors in that light. Is that true for you?"
Exactly! But I have come to discover that there is more. I still don't know what that more is, but...there is...always. For me it is a part of the mystery...and I am dumbstruck, in awe, and filled with respect.
a part of the mystery...and I am dumbstruck, in awe, and filled with respect
That is how it is for me when the writing is good, yes, because it's almost like it isn't me anymore, but me as part of something much more. Hard to put into words. It's a feeling of enormous comfort and awe, combined, a feeling of having come home, of being a necessary part, but only a part of something ineffable, inexpressable... I tried to express a little of that in the last bit of my poem "Finding Home." But oh, words fail...
Chico, Here's the link: Finding Home
...azulejo
Hi, lhombre! Thank you so much for your kind words in my blog! I am an amateur writer, and my English is very poor... but I want to say t h a n k s
and invite you to come to visit my place whenever you have patience, ok?
I love Chopin too... and my text today brings something inspirated by his beautiful nocturnes. I also love opera, violin... may I link you to my page?
Hugs from faaaaaaaaaar away São Paulo,Brazil.
palomadawn:
¡Ah! Sí, Chopin puede ser muy inspirador. Usted escribe belemente. Gocé la escritura en el Beal que pinta mucho. Usted tuvo algunas penetraciones personales muy interesantes.
Gracias para parar por mi sitio web también. Sí, usted puede ligar a mi blog. Usted puede ligar también a mi sitio web. ¿Puedo colocar yo una conexión a su blog también?
Por favor parada por más a menudo si usted puede.
Ah! Sim, Chopin pode ser muito de inspiração. Escreve hermosamente. Gozei o escrito no Beal pintando muito. Teve algumas introspecções pessoais muito interessantes.
Obrigado para parar por meu local de teia também. Sim, pode ligar a meu blog. Você também pode ligar a meu local de teia. Posso colocar um elo a seu blog demais?
Por favor parada por mais freqüentemente se pode.
Ah! Yes, Chopin can be very inspirational. You write beautifully. I enjoyed the writing on the Beal painting very much. You had some very interesting personal insights.
Thank you for stopping by my web site too. Yes, you may link to my blog. You may also link to my web site. May I place a link to your blog too?
Please stop by more often if you can.
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