Sunday, October 30, 2011

A sea-cliff plot full of grace: a poem

During my solo trip to the Oregon coast last weekend I stopped at Boiler Bay and came upon this scene when I walked out to the overlook point. There is a fence with no trespassing signs separating the public from the slick rocks and cliff edge. However, someone had an important mission to accomplish ...a journey of the heart just beyond the fence, touching eternity.

The grave was unmarked. Perhaps a pet was buried there, likely a dog in that case, or possibly the ashes of a human loved one, or...  I could not get a view of the face carved in the pumpkin. It is up to our imagination what expression it wore as it looked out to sea. 

(Video is 2:36)



A sea-cliff plot full of grace

You were loved for being kind.
We who find this poignant place
Are filled with awe at this spot,
A sea-cliff plot full of grace.

Here some fun, here some splendor,
Farewell gifts tender and true.
Mystic myst'ry in the sun,
Your death spun in misty blue.

Gentle petals near your heart,
Small pumpkin part of aweigh.
Life boils down to simple things,
Rock.Wind.Mem'ry.Wings. Sea-spray.

                       MLydiaM ~ October 2011



The poem is my first attempt at trying the Welsh poetic form called Awdl Gywydd: (owdl gow-widd):
Each stanza is a quatrain of seven syllables. Lines two and four rhyme; lines one and three cross rhyme into either the third, OR fourth, OR fifth syllable of lines two and four.
Many thanks to Alias Jinksy, who introduced me to Awdl Gywydd, when she shared her first one here. She wrote that the form had haunted her. It haunted me too and it seemed the perfect expression for my impressions of the grave at Boiler Bay.


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18 comments:

Jinksy said...

And the haunting has born fruit! Well done, you!

Look out for posts from Grace at Imaginary Garden with Real Toads, as she is still testing our brains with introductions to more Welsh poetic forms. ♥

Anonymous said...

So beautiful! And what a lovely little display for a grave.

Owen said...

Lovely poem, lovely thoughts, lovely altogether... Looking out to sea fills and incomrehensible need. I love the rhythm of your words here, the Awdl Gywydd flows more smoothly than the name suggests it might.

kj said...

lydia, wow. this is a stunning post from start to finish. i couldn't play the whole video (damn laptop) but i saw enough. you held that camera perfectly around.

and your poem. you taught me today because you showed me. i am very impressed and inspired! wonderful poem, lydia. please please may i start writing poems again... :^)

love
kj

Lydia said...

Jinksy~ Thank you for the comment and additional info, but most of all thank you for posting your Awdl Gywydd to stir me. :)

Amber Lee~ Thank you. I hope the people who made this grave have a small sense of how people were drawn to it.

Owen~ Thank you so much!
I really like the Awdl Gywydd form. It does something to your brain when you are writing one....at least that was my experience.

kj~ Thank you for your kind comments.
I certainly do hope that you start writing poems again! Why not jump back in by creating an Awdl Gywydd?! What the heck! btw,15 years separated the last poem I wrote to the one that began the process once again for me. It was like being dead in many ways.

Deborah said...

That's just beautiful.

Rob-bear said...

Awesome video. Marvellous poem. (It reached deep down into my Welsh roots, inherited from my late mother.)

mythopolis said...

An homage or remembrance for some, and a meditation for others....

Lydia said...

Deborah~ Thanks so much. :)

Rob-bear~ Really? Welsh roots? That is just so rich. Love that kind of synchronicity!

mythopolis~ Indeed. Beautifully worded comment.

Looking to the Stars said...

Wow, what a great poem! You are a talented one!!!
Loved the post :)

Jingle Poetry At Olive Garden said...

a beautiful experience poetically highlighted here, well done.

Jingle Poetry At Olive Garden said...

Happy Halloween,

wow, glad to be here, Thanks a lot for your charming support in the past,

your talent is enjoyed and appreciated.

bless you.

welcome back any time, share, and smiles,

old poems, poems unrelated to our theme are welcome too.

Rosaria Williams said...

Yes, life boils down to simple things, and the sea has them all.

susan said...

It's a lovely sentiment and a very beautiful poem.

Lydia said...

The Gooseberry Garden~ Many thanks and I hope your Halloween was a creative and happy one.

rosaria~ Well said, and, in your case, well-lived.

susan~ Thank you. It was a sweet thing to behold.

Brian Miller said...

very nice....i have heard the form before but never tried it....what an interesting find and it spurned a rather nice verse...i like....

Olga said...

I always admire the poets who can catch the words out of thin air and convey our thoughts through a poem.

Lydia said...

Brian~ Well, if you try the form I know you will make magic, as usual. Hope you do because I know I would like.

Olga~ You are sweet. Thank you for being here.

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