Monday, March 15, 2010

Magpie Tales - Week Five


I've decided to join Willow's Magpie Tales for today. Each week she posts a prompt around which a tale should be formed. Click the link above to see other offerings.

This week's prompt reminded me of a poem I wrote my senior year in college (December 2, 1985, to be exact!). I'm annoyed with myself that I have to add this caveat - but I don't want to alarm family members: I'm uncomfortable with the subject matter because politically I'm pro-choice, but on a personal level I'm glad I never had to make the choice. What I apparently did not have a choice about was writing the poem!


Ironic Trust

I saw it again tonight.
The look, trust eyes
doewide
dark & deep with love.
I shut the door
and looked, surprised,
at four red crescents
in my hand.
The match makes
glowarcs in the black
before it finally finds
the wick.
A pale half moon
wavers in the mirror
shining wetly.
When the candle
is just cold wax
and burnt cloth
I sit in the alone
and watch the dark
and contemplate the look.
I have never seen the eyes
but when I close mine
they are there
shining love.
And so I stare
wide-blankly
and feel the
great empty
cavern
of my womb.

19 comments:

  1. and feel the empty cavern of my womb...wow...nicely done.

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  2. I know all about that empty cavern called womb. What I don't know about are red crescents. Am I having a blond moment?

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  3. Wow! this is a great endevour into the Magpie Tales. I admire those of you who participate, as this is not my strong suit. Excellent, and keep up the good works.

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  4. Haunting and sad. I'm intrigued with the mysterious four red crescents.

    So glad you linked to Magpie, Bug!

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  5. It's the marks my fingernails make when I clench my fist :)

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  6. Dear The Bug,
    I got the clenching fist, I did.

    You really do have talent, I think you should keep on with the magpie!

    Ann T.

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  7. It is interesting to back and read pieces that were done long ago. I recently found a binder I used in high school for all of my so called poetry. Some still holds up. Some not. This is truly a lovely, poignant piece.

    On another note, Evening Light Writer also responded to my e-mail saying she was just ending a phase of her life and would return. Thanks for you correspondence, Dana.

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  8. Lovely work Bug. I didn;t get the four cresents but I love them now. "doewide doeeyed" Very evocative.
    I don't have any writing from my school days. A few embarrassing pieces from eary Uni era and lots of letters i wrote my parents when i first left home to live interstate. Strange that my mother kept them for thirty odd years.

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  9. Sweet poem!
    It opens with eyes "deep with love", and ends with eyes of "shining love". And in the middle of it and of the dark night - the match, candle, and the pale moon cooperating and providing for some light to enable staring at that look, at those eyes.

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  10. Mystical and hauntingly sad. Nicely written.

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  11. I can see why this won an award. I hope that you will give Magpie a try again.

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  12. I too can imagine the empty cavern...sad poem full of genuine feeling.

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  13. Great writing! Loved the red crescents and striking match image. Keep it up, you're good at this.

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  14. This is real and honest -- I enjoyed this, thank you for sharing…
    …rob
    Image & Verse

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  15. Writing from the heart is always more powerful.
    Didn't get the four red crescents - if you were submitting that, I'd wonder about making it a bit clearer somehow as a few of us didn't get it.
    Very very good

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  16. so effective ...

    four crescents - doewide dark & deep - great empty cavern of my womb

    very poignant and haunting...

    Bella

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  17. A throughly poignant and provocative poem. I can almost smell the candle burning wetly. And the red crescents? Are these tattoos? Or symbols of some kind? Haunting. Well done!

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Thanks for stopping by - I'd love to hear what you have to say!

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