in this temporary lull…
in the stall that passes for a quiet pause…
the sigh between stoplights winking…
through another relentless rumbling evening rush,
.
.
i can hear the faint… the plaintive calls.
like memories echoing down narrow windowed canyon walls
a slow whitened silhouette a blur above rooftops,
entrails across the smoke dark shroud of sky.
.
.
a lone seagull…
aloft in her weightless circles calling…
pleading our cause that carnivorous Winter release
it’s talon grip on our weathered psyches.
.
.
this colossal metropolis
frayed and weary along its steely margins,
holding a collective breath praying for relief
for signs our resolve has slain the beast.
.
.
to be home… and warm is a primal lure
and cars have little patience for an inconvenient reverie,
but i have witnessed Spring’s first inland gull
and believe her plea was not in vain.
.
.
heartened and invigorated now,
windows down i invite the viper wind
to hiss his last stinging breaths on my skin
and tangle my hair as i drive.
who could know then 
Reblogged this on 20 Lines A Day.
I love how you are calling it’s bluff, Spring will emerge. That last verse wonderful imagery, I can just see that cold air biting through your hair. In fact the imagery is perfect in each verse and I also witness your frustration about wishing to get home. Beautiful Jack.
I agree, I loved it all but that last verse is perfection!
Great minds think alike it seems ~ smiles
hi M ty for saying that. this was one of those poems that transformed itself from its inception, to how it eventually ended. it was much gloomier at the beginning of the week, and i really did let the windows down on Friday as i drove home. and it felt great!
and as i write this the 5am sky is a very pale tangerine….and it is snowing again!. my back door was never shut so fast lol! i have to say Jen, faith in an eventual Spring has been rare commodity this year, but the seagulls never break their promises….so i believe!
ty for the knindness you’ve thrown my way,
i always appreciate you being here. Love and Hugs Jen!
Wouldn’t miss your words Jack, I do hope it eventuates, there is only so much snow and bitter cold one can take. It’s 9.22pm Sunday night here and we have colder Autumn nights and mornings, thankfully the days still bring sunshine, soon the shoe will be on the other foot my friend 🙂 hugs to you too.
well, i wouldn’t wish this ‘polar vortex’ nightmare on anyone, here’s hoping it never arrives in your hemisphere.
Fingers crossed, it would be weird having snow, though I sit with a jumper and my comfy ugg boots on now. I hate the cold! 🙂
heh, my knee high ughs saved me this year, with near 7′ of snow i needed every inch of waterproof leather and fleece! lol i despise the cold too, my skinny self affords no insulation whatsoever….accch!
lol, I have the visual, they are god/universe sent these uggs, couldn’t live without them. More carbs Jack? 🙂
yeah…sure, whaddya got for me? honestly, i have one of those non stop metabolisms, i eat to try and maintain my meager weight. at 6’2, 165 lbs, i don’t have much padding around the edges! believe me the carbs go in…they just don’t hang around! lol
Trying to work out lbs to kilos here erm 2.2lbs per kg = um where is my calculator! um spuds, pasta, pastry, rice, um err…nope you just have a good metabolism, wish I did 🙂
spuds, pasta, pastry, rice,….and ice cream every night, so go figure! and this is the point in the conversation when the mumbled expletives begin, but trust me, i have an over abundance of imperfections that more than make up for this one bright spot! lol
at least you can smile under those mumbles 😉
My favourite of yours by far. One of the best I have read in a long time. It took me to many places and temperatures, above and below. It is wonderful to enjoy another poet’s rhythm instinctively. Epic. Sublime. 🙂
good morning Nomzi, and ty for showering so much kindness on me today. i was debating all week whether i would illustrate this poem with a drawing, but i was enjoying the pure beauty of words alone to paint the picture i thought better of it.
Personally, poems tend to breathe better alone. But then again I am old school in so many ways. Anyhow, I loved it. Have a great week. 🙂
oh i understand Nomzi, there are poems i feel that way too, like this one. but sometimes i like including the source that
inspired the poem, the music and or image to create a more encompassing, multi layered experience. i can see however
how a classically trained poet might frown on taking that liberty, but i’ve always been a bit of a rule bender…lol! i feel
very strongly in letting poetry breathe, stand awhile and be savored and it’s why i have begun posting less frequently.
i have a habit of coming back to read someone’s poetry days after it’s posted, something you’ll find i’ll do with your poetry.
That is what makes your blog special. It is authentic and it is harmonious and your last poem is so alive. 🙂
Now that is a good idea. I think I will also be posting less frequently. Let my poems be for a while…I will see how it goes…Thank you once more for your time and your support. You are a star. 🙂
Lovely.
ty Sis, i was struck at the similarity of our posts,
especially the one about seeing the first chipmunk!
I love the feel, the rhythm, the flow. I love the fight I feel coming from you within to push through and carry on towards spring. Truly one of your best, Dear Friend! I love picturing you with the windows down waving your fist and moving on down the road, Lots of “loves” because I just loved it. 🙂 ((sending hugs your way))
{{{{ hugs felt }}}] and ty so much Sky, what an abundance of love and compliments from you to begin the day. and you captured every iota of what i was trying to convey too. how lucky am i to have a friend like you?
just beautiful….i know that talon grip.
ty errin, heh, living in NY you would know what it means.
i never understood why folks flocked south when i was young….
LOL i know i just figured that out last night!!!! how funny..if i had thought about it, i may have figured it out before.
well, i have 4 more years until Cbear is off to college to figure out what to do. and after this winter, i might consider trading palmetto bugs for snow and bitter cold ( and i despise bugs )
i know. i left charleston because of those bugs..after a raccoonnn electrocuted himself on my AC…& hurricanes…but i don’t have them here or i would leave, although i do have a big hole in the ceiling & ut rained in every 12 seconds last mon.
i’m actually planning to live on our farm more in the next few years, it’s in Indiana so the weather isn’t all that different, it’s living in the city that always makes winter so much worse.
i’ll probably become a cloistered hobbit and never be seen again, but as long as i have cable and internet service, i’m all good! lol
is there a farm somewhere where the temperature is always in the 70’s ? that’s where i need to live..
yes if there was no tv ,i would shoot myself , if i had lived like 70 years ago.
they ( tv) keep scaring me about the electricity going off
if 1/2 inch of ice…then i can’t breathe.
yeah me too, i would never get to sleep without TV.
it’s my valium, i’m addicted but at least i don’t need a prescription! lol
sisnce 1st grade , i leave tv on all night, except when i was married.
neurologist gave me valium 3 years ago, for 4 mri’s…it didn’t work…i take tranquilizer to go to sleep for 4 years now, or i can’t
we didn’t have those bugs in greenville s.c.they terrify me. once i jumped in charleston & hurt myself badly & my P.T. said don’t do that again.lol
blecchh! oh those damn things give me the willies too!
i know. after the raccoon, one came to the shower. i still have ptsd from those bugs & raccoons. i;m not joking…now i’m scared to close my eyes/ wash my hair.lol even though i left in 2007.
OK, we need to not talk about those bugs now,
OMG in the shower? i think i just changed my mind
about the trade off, that’s just TOO much to take in errin!
yes, but that was just in charleston. don’t go there & let raccoon die…come to myrtle beach or greenville..
From this Poem so beautifully penned we can paint our own picture exactly. Thank you.
hi rita, and ty so much for saying that. i decided against
drawing something for this poem. i was hoping the words
would tell the story.
Your behind the wheel word paintings are incredible. ‘frayed and weary along its steely margins’ – I see your whole journey.
geez Mark, your reaction really touched my heart,
this writer thanks you so much for such a wonderful compliment.
words are such beautiful things, aren’t they?
“I invite the viper wind to hiss his last stinging breaths on my skin”—the imagery is so rich that I can almost feel the sting of those last breaths of wind before he dies out and spring arrives. Gorgeous.
hi CC and ty so much, what gift it is to receive such a wonderful reaction to something i’ve written. it’s an inspiration to write and share another poem, i really appreciate you being here, hope you have a great day!
I think most of us can relate to the determined hope in this poem! It felt as though spring finally arrived here yesterday, and the first crocuses have appeared in the yard. Old Man Winter doesn’t seem to be done with us yet, though. My favorite lines of this lovely poem are:
like memories echoing down narrow windowed canyon walls
a slow whitened silhouette a blur above rooftops,
entrails across the smoke dark shroud of sky.
Simply beautiful, my friend.
oh what i would give to see crocus again Miranda. and this poem might have been a tad premature, we are scheduled for snow again..lol at this point i’m hanging on by my fingernails…..
ty for your kindness Miranda, i really do appreciate your input.
Beautiful writing as my imagination takes over.
that warms my heart Mary, anytime my words can let imagination
take flight i feel i’ve done well. ty so much, i hope you enjoyed the trip! lol
I am making gestures with my hands and torso to try to find the words-too bad you can’t see :). Suffice it to say I LOVE the visceral quality to this poem of epic struggle, and how you’ve evocatively called upon a number of elements to make the reader feel that quality. E.g. vivid and dramatic imagery like “entrails,” “carnivorous” and “talon grip;” sensuous word choice with “colossal,” “invigorated,” “shroud, ” “hissing;” and that last unforgettable, painterly picture, windows down, heading home, you and your hair a tangle of hope and heart. Bravo. Xoxo
Chloe, it still amazes me how much i learn about my own poetry from reactions such as yours. the last stanza was an almost desperate attempt to find a suitable ending to this poem, i wasn’t sure it was definitive enough but apparently it hit a chord with folks. and yes, i can imagine you standing, gesturing in vain to find the words ( and it tells me so much ), i do the same. i’m half italian so it’s in my blood lol,
you’re a dancer, and it might be the highest compliment you have ever given me that my words inspired your movement. ty dear Chloe.
this is truly beautiful and so poetic as always your writings are. sorry i was absent from commenting/reading due to stress and lack of time, glad to be back 🙂 hope you’re having joyful spring days filled with light and smiles, my friend, sending best wishes your way~
YELENA! it’s so wonderful to see your new Gravatar on my pages, i like it! sweet poetess, i honestly thought you had given up on WP, and i am sorry you’ve had your struggles. stress is an awful thing, if i can ask did you finally move out of the city?
ty very much for your kindness, and i wish i could tell you our spring is as lovely as it should be, but Winter will not leave. it’s like an unwanted house guest, it just won’t take the hint that it’s just not wanted here anymore…lol!
Very freeing and stirring to the senses. I’m in the seat next to you with leaning out the window with my eyes closed! Love this ❤
oh Holly, i was waiting for you to read this poem, it was inspired in part by our first conversation
and all the incredible things you said to me. you can be my eyes closed passenger anytime..lol! ty so much.
You made my day. Thank you! Love to you, friend! ❤
Here’s hoping it releases it’s grip soon. I have to comment on that last stanza. Perfect closing…I could “see” you. Made me smile 🙂
oh ty Melanie, glad i could give you a giggle.
heck, if i had a convertible that day, the top woulda’ been down! lol
What is going on? What happened to you? We al wonder if you are okay. Thinking about you. Melanie and I talk about you and wish we knew that you and your family were well. ❤
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