Thursday, April 18, 2013

Meeting the Bar: The Unfathomable




Beyond shattered glass,
blood-spattered ash,
and fallen limbs -
Through hateful haze
after fearsome fires -
Still in a daze, a
space of numbness -

between damning curses
and blessing hymns -

is where we must race,
wheel, or crawl -
is where we must travel
alone and together
beyond shattered glass.

I'll look for your face.



Written for Meeting the Bar: Critique and Craft—The Unfathomable— at dVerse Poets. The host this week is Anna Elizabeth Graham, whose prompt post is a thoughtful essay on the poetry of disaster.

Want to give a shout out to the G-Man, with apologies for this 57-word poem not fitting the criteria for Friday Flash 55 this week....

.

23 comments:

Leovi said...

Very interesting poem, love and existentialism hand!

mythopolis said...

I love this one, Lydia...

Pitsit sekaisin said...

This poem made me wonder. It is full of drama an still very minimalistic. Took for a while to decide whether I like it or not and I came to conclusion that I like it very much...:)

susan said...

Very beautifully put, my friend.

Maude Lynn said...

Beautiful.

Lydia said...

Leovi~ Love and existentialism! Thanks!

mythopolis~ I think this is the first of my poems you said you loved. Makes it a special one then!

Pitsit~ How wonderful to see you again! I really appreciated your thoughtful comment.

susan~ Thanks much, and I wish you were in Portland so we could sit over lunch and just talk about all that's going on in the world....

Mama Zen~ Thank you kindly.

Unknown said...

Makes me thinkof the Boston marathon incident. Such a tragic thing. Very well written.

Fireblossom said...

I like this a lot. The last six lines could almost be about Life Itself, and the shattered glass, the shattered peace of the womb, and our subsequent movement through life, together and alone. For a romantic like me, that makes the "I'll look for your face" even better.

Jinksy said...

Beyond glass and ash,
and fallen limbs -

That's lost you two words straight away - and there's a rhythmic flow to the words that are left..? Just a thought...

Yvonne Osborne said...

I bet G. will forgive you for this. Yes, we must race, wheel or crawl through it all. I really like it that you included the word "wheel".

Marbles in My Pocket said...

Well said, and I love the finishing line. Excellent!

izzy said...

It isn't hard to find disaster nowadays- I like how you blended all this with the photo ! thanks.

Linc said...

This is extraordinary. The first two lines grab hold and don't let go. Bravo!

G-Man said...

Very appropriate for this week Lydia.
Anything by you is accepted with much appreciation.
Loved your explosive 55
Thanks for playing, and have a Kick Ass Week-End

Kathe W. said...

timely and thoughtful poem. Have a wonderful and peaceful weekend!

aka_andrea said...

between damning curses
and blessing hymns -

that really defines the nature of this type of tragedy. well done.

Vanessa Victoria Kilmer said...

Very thoughtful and thought-provoking.

Flash 55 - Visual Vexations

Unknown said...

How we need that space, thank you for providing it here with your poem. The pace accelerates the drama well.

Lydia said...

Illsa~ That is what was on my mind, too. Thanks.

Fireblossom~ Loved your comment, you big romantic. Thank you.

Jinksy~ Oh, I very much like your suggestion. Won't change it now, but think I would in the future if I were to republish it. Many thanks!

Yvonne~ Thank you for mentioning the use of "wheel," as I wondered about it but kept it.

Marbles in my Pocket~ I am so glad you do. Thanks.

izzy~ Thanks; that image did it for me.

Linc~ Wow, thank you so much!

G-Man~ Thank you for validating my non-55. See Jinksy's comment for her re-write that would make it official; I like it.

Kathe~ Thanks, and regarding the weekend we are going to the beach so all is right with the world. Blow a kiss at Shasta for me sometime during your own peaceful weekend.

aka_andrea~ I appreciated your comment; thanks.

Vanessa~ Thank you!

Anna~ Thank you for your critique. I so appreciate your professionalism when you host at dVerse.

Rob-bear said...

I'll look for your face
but not in the broken glass
or the ruinous reflections
that it
causes.

Beyond the illusions of the glass
is a clear dark night
and beyond it
a sunny
day.

I will watch
for you
there.

Lydia said...

Rob-bear~ Your fine poem uplifted me. It should be dedicated to those who endured so much this past week in Boston and West. Here's looking toward that sunny day!

Rastaman said...

Amazing.

Lydia said...

Rastaman~ It was an amazing week....

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