Sunday, July 1, 2012

Papoose

R.A.D. Stainforth's beautifully poignant recitation...


Clouds play out,
time-lapsed and furious,
above a pulsing angiogram –
the tree of life.

There is no canoe.

Only the river holds me,
colicky, in her arms, 
gentle enough to keep my face
above the water.

Papoose at her mercy.

I float, unable to resist the current,
listen closely 
to her ancient lullaby.

She is my mother.
I don't need to know why.


tk/ July 2012


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49 comments:

  1. Beautiful, Tess,
    sweet surrender to fate!

    Off topic:
    I started missing you. For some reason, people disappear from my Bloglist, you among them. Has this happened to you and anyone else, by chance? I have not touched or changed anything. Mysterious.

    A wonderful Sunday to you,
    Merisi

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  2. lovely language tess...the angiogram....papoose...colicky....really builds the scene well....best sometimes just to go with the flow...

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  3. The last line is the embodiment of love.

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  4. i love this that last line says it all
    She is my mother.
    I don't need to know why.
    brilliant

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  5. Oh Tess, this is gorgeous. One lush dive into everything we already are....

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  6. Sweet! Surrendering to the flow of life...

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  7. Only the river holds me,
    colicky, in her arms,
    gentle enough to keep my face
    above the water.


    I love this portion so much!!

    This is such a great write!! The image in words for sure, Tess!!

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  8. Oh, I love all of this.
    The last two lines are killers.
    'She is my mother. I don't need to know why'
    Stunning!

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  9. Out of the water at the beginning of time and back into it by choice now! Very fine, this one, Tess!

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  10. Sorry, Tess, 'Reubs' is me, Dick. My son has hijacked my account!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Dick...I would have been wondering about Reubs...

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  11. A beautiful image of the water holding her like she's nature's child.

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  12. Papoose ... both the poem and Mr. Stainforth's intense recitation ~ yes, poignant is the perfect adjective!

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  13. Lovely, and I too especially like your closing lines.

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  14. This is a beautifully etched homage to your roots and to family/mother love. Your talent, Ms. Wordsmith shines and sparkles here! =D

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  15. This is amazing, Tess... I especially like:

    Only the river holds me,
    colicky, in her arms,
    gentle enough to keep my face
    above the water.

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  16. Very well done. Love the photo, too!

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  17. A colicky river- hmm, interesting! thanks-

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  18. Beautiful, and quite moving...

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  19. "gentle enough to keep my face
    above the water"

    Sometimes that's all we can hope for. :) Lovely poetry, symbolism, and philosophy, Tess.

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  20. Lovely take on painting. Reminds me a bit of Moonrise KIng - or whatever that new movie is - I actually saw it last night, and think of those canoes - she looks very Native American here - what odd juxtapositions the world gives us. k.

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    1. K, I'm 1/16 Cherokee, so I hearken to my roots here.

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  21. "Papoose" veils the old Ophelia mystery with a sense of Indian connection - still a young child returning to a mother's arms! Very moving!

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  22. "I don't need to know why" should be the first fact we learn. You set this up so well Tess, as you do!

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  23. above a pulsing angiogram –
    the tree of life.
    There is no canoe.

    Only the river holds me,
    colicky, in her arms,
    gentle enough to keep my face
    above the water.

    I've been through this, Tess! Had an angiogram done! Plainly just as you described.'The tree of life', the image of the dye and the warmth as it moved. Your were aware 'as the river...face above water' and awake. Beautiful take1

    Hank

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  24. Wordpainter, indeed. Just a lovely recitation by RAD Stainforth!

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    1. Thanks Margaret...and I agree...Stainforth does an exceptional job here...oh you left your comment at 11:11...my lucky numbers!

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  25. The last two lines nailed it for me! Lovely poem... :)
    Bloom in the moonshine!

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  26. Those of us who can take that journey...how lucky we are..beautifully done.

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  27. Particularly apt as we celebrate Canada's birthday this weekend. 145 years and so related to our native population. This piece transcends borders and imagination.

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  28. I didn't get the connection between the poem and the painting at first and read this as the child in utero speaking to her mother. Either way it's beautifully crafted and the last two lines are gorgeous.

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  29. I was quite moved by this, Tess, had a beautiful flow to it.

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  30. ...this one really worked for me, quite well done Tess...

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  31. Love this:

    Only the river holds me,
    colicky, in her arms,
    gentle enough to keep my face
    above the water.

    What a great image.

    =)

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  32. Very nice. Totally loved the closing...

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  33. This is so very poignant. I always love seeing the different take, the different view that poets here take on your prompts.


    My Magpie Tales is at my Crows Fete blog at: http://crowsfete.blogspot.com/2012/07/magpie-tales-124.html

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  34. i like the papoose. that was very original

    <a href="http://zongrik.wordpress.com/2012/07/02/where-are-the-koi/>where are the koi</a>

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  35. Never would have thought of this for the picture, but I love where you went with it! So beautiful. I felt like I was floating on gentle swells as I read it.

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  36. What a beautiful way to express a heart procedure or attack....beautiful. Really enjoyed this weeks photo challenge. Thank you...I have been a busy woman lately....

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  37. ..." her ancient lullaby" that's good! thankyou

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  38. I've never been colicky, but I've been in that river's arms, too feverish to even be afraid. Moms are pure magic. Beautiful picture.

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  39. Age-old tale in a flowing current style. Lovely!

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  40. Thank you for your lovely comments...I have the best readers in the blogosphere...I really do...and thank you R.A.D. for this gorgeous reading...

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Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
― O. Henry (and me)