Tuesday, May 5, 2009

the sigh that falls on absence

skyward tendrils form invisible drifts
that christen smoking aspirations,
a golden chrism of gasped consecration-
your sacrifice so heaven in unseen mist.

can you sense again the crush of crinoline,
that opened, playful, your emerald chalice?
did the hush and hiss of the aural world
cast a sensual catechism on your carousel,
and did you mind, in your mind, or elsewhere?

remember the glorious cascade that roared
near gorse, sharp brambles, and naked thorns,
a course of white torrent through the chasm,
caressing velvet rocks and mossy pebbles
with the natural peace of untamed streams-

recall the scary roar that measured passion-
so sweet your quiver near metronome reeds:
remember that blistering, glistening yellow prism
when the blue grotto and red rhythm
could not help but sanctify the sky.

were the cirrus spasms that stained your dress
reflected in the wispy clouds that hid the lidless sun
in the lidded moment of your rolled white eyes-
that stole the bright but not the warmth
from bronze monstrance and rushing brook?

did the hawthorn blooming unusually pink
bleed a little on your blushing thigh?

in the subtle saffron of your sublime quiet
lies the silent history of what was
and what lives, still, in the musk of memory.

kyrie eleison
kyrie eleison
kyrie eleison

6 comments:

  1. wonderful piece with a haunting feeling for me

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  2. Hmm, this is haunting, indeed. I instantly love your style of writing. And, I specifically like the questions you've asked. Great job! Keep writing!!!

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  3. Frig and a half! Really. Where have you been? The language is gorgeous, the imagery smacking, nothing lies still! Ok, what's kyrie eleison? Will google tell?

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  4. Thanks for the kind words Bros and WIAW. Where have I been? I am just an amateur knucklehead who amuses himself with the struggles of words and meaning. "kyrie eleison" is Greek for "Lord Have Mercy", part of the papist liturgy of my boyhood. Google probably would have told you that, I suspect. Cheers.

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  5. Yes you are a very clever chap! Beautiful words and images, you.
    The fifth stanza my fav. I love the image of the 'lidless sun'
    Well done, you.

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Yes?