Sonnet for an Afternoon
A soft, inviting glade at your neck lies
where sinewed roots stretch out and purchase gain
on shoulders, which like weathered outcrops rise
enshadowed by an auburn colored mane,
where one could find a refuge for a while
secure from gazes stern and worldly care
an afternoon and evening to beguile
hid thus within serenity found there.
Yet neither can I lie completely still
despite the pleasure of your mossy hush
You write of feelings I’ve experienced, but far more powerfully than I could express. I’m moved my images of light withdrawn and starless depths. The last stanza reminded me of the scent of warm earth before springtime.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. It unfolds beautifully, and opens our eyes to Jason and the way he sees the world and himself. The way he discovers how the world - one one particular man in it - sees him will have me rereading this story again and again.
These two poems help me understand my own recurring difficulties. They express some of the colors and emotions I experience. For this, and for the beauty of your writing, I am grateful.
I hope that this poem is worth the effort to read and de-code. Nature is unquestionably inspirational in any season, yet it has been especially so lately. Thanks so much for your thoughts.
Thank you for sharing this excellent poem. It has me thinking, and relating to it. There is indeed an obstacle to so many things one might do for one who is beloved, but currently out of sight.
You have given the sun four characters, four personalities, which deserve a poem in themselves. I guess this prayer is a plea for a promise, in the way a child begs a beloved grandfather to promise to return. Many thanks for reading!
It was cold here, too. But when the clouds parted to let in the sun, I stood in the warmth, soaking it in, and committing it to memory. The sun won’t forget to return in spring, but I hope my spirit remembers it when it does. Thanks very much for reading!
As the leaves fall, and the trees bare themselves before the coming cold, I can only hope and trust that spring will return, and that I might be there to witness it again. Thanks very much for reading!
To the Sun
September sun, shine down upon the field
and garden which your kindliness makes green
wherein the tastes of summer days are sealed
enough to make a wintry mortal keen
when February’s chilly arms embrace
the hill and forest in its icy sheen,
remember us, in dreams of Queen Anne’s lace
through endless nights the spirit may corrode
and from each countenance a smile erase,
avow to them who strive against the goad
or shiver as t
I used indents in this case at the suggestion of @AC Benus. Each indent calls attention to an antecedent in a less-indented section. Is it a dark art? I’m not sure. Would it sound differently to the ear unindented? I think you may be right.
Thank you! It’s good of you to have given this one a go. If you could see and hear and feel as I did in this poem, then it was a worthwhile experiment.
Coming on Autumn
These latter days when katydids still croon
their songs beneath the sparkling skies,
reminding us of endings, all too soon,
unraveling of that which ties
us bound to this, our comforting cocoon,
we wait the final act
while life remains intact.
And as I ponder this, I realize
no fervent wish would I retract,
nor disavow those dreams that some despise,
to see again the light diffract
upon your frame in ways