Reanimated Lavender Granola Switchblade Nun rides again.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Beautiful Indigo

Summer is the stack of dishes the busboy drops--
too bright, too loud, too public;
A harsh-edged sun carves me from my nested silence,
dries me and stitches my mouth shut--
I choke on the songs I would have sung, come fall.

If I could kiss ice, I would.
If I could teach the clouds a good strong gray, I would.
If I could split November into wings, and fold them,
I would send myself into a steep dive
and kill summer with a single sudden strike.

All of this is because I miss your voice.
All of this is because you are too far to touch,
and too taken to ever be mine.
All of this is because of the skew of the stars,
and the curse of longing that has snaked between my ribs,
forming a second heart, jammed with poems,
a jar for beautiful indigo.

Summer spares me one gift, though she knows how I resent her--
She finds me on the floor, beating my brains with my fist
for the poems that refuse to come.
She gives me something--
not the thing I need, but still something--
light through blue lace,
making delicate, shifting patterns
on my untouched skin.
_________



14 comments:

  1. Wow! That second stanza is simply amazing - as part of the bigger picture and in and of its own brilliant self.

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  2. Love this, Shay. I hate the idea of summer (oh, this heat & syrupy humidity!!) but then the grass turns neon green and the roses woo me with their intoxicating scents and I succumb each and every year to her charms. :-)

    Indigo is, to me, the most mysterious of colors. I read a book by Graham Joyce entitled, "Indigo" and it blew me away as did his books, "Dark Sister" and "Smoking Poppy". He's the only author I know whose each and every book is totally different from the last.

    Hang in there and stay cool. The poems will come. xoxo

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  3. i agree - the 2nd stanza was brilliant. split november / wings. sheesh...

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  4. There is an old (Spanish, I think) proverb that goes, 'Take what you want, says God--then pay for it.' but who could ever put a price on a jar of indigo, especially one filled by your ink. Not every poem is something of a Cesarean delivery, but the best are, I think, and at least here the blade is sharp.

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  5. This is a poem to sink your teeth into...rich color, wonderful description, deep longing...beautiful writing Shay.

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  6. Shay--These lines are simply gorgeous:

    All of this is because of the skew of the stars,
    and the curse of longing that has snaked between my ribs,
    forming a second heart, jammed with poems,
    a jar for beautiful indigo.

    "...skew of the stars...longing that has snaked between my ribs..." Beautiful.

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  7. This is one of your best; it's painfully beautiful.

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  8. Summer is a difficult season for those of us who live internally. But you have found a way to cut through the stultifying glare.

    Like so many who have commented I too am drawn to the second stanza but you had me at "Summer is the stack of dishes the busboy drops--too bright, too loud, too public"

    Thank you so much for your visit and your kind words.

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  9. This isn't the first time you've equated human emotion with the natural world. In fact, it's a recurring theme that you always seem to be able to keep fresh and brutally truthful. And again, I find myself re-reading your work to squeeze out the last bit of emotion. Awesome job!

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  10. "a jar for beautiful indigo."

    one of the BEST lines EVER!

    "She gives me something--
    not the thing I need, but still something--"

    the cruelty of the universe ~ not the thing i need, but still something {so i should be grateful, yes?}

    this poem is simply breathtaking, Shay!

    LOVE it, SP!

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  11. this is one i need to read several times to take it all in

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  12. All of the senses are mediocre...
    Until YOU describe them!

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  13. I sank into this one, Shay, with a soft summer's sigh.

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