The curtains reach out
moved by the breeze
for as long as she shall stir them
but they cannot hold the breeze.
In love with the brass bed
the breeze winds around it there
caresses it to move it
but the brass bed couldn't care.
You are a carnival
so the fortune teller swears
in the mirror where the Gypsy
weaves narcissus through your hair.
I write this poem for ticket
to the carnival of rhyme
and curl as the curtains curl
as on the bed you lie.
Yellow the narcissus blooms
and lonely pale the breeze
lovely as you lying there
as empty as you please.
_________
also shared with Dverse Open Link, hosted by Linda Lyberg.
Sigh. This is so lovely. The rhythm and rhyme and, especially, the narcissus woven through the lines. Just a gorgeous read. I am so moved by Jackson Frank's story. So sad, but thankfully his music was discovered and lives on.
ReplyDeleteI love the movement and deeper stirs each stanza holds here Shay! Each line was another treasure to read and think upon. I too love the story shared of Jackson Frank's life. It really is one that grabs at your heart and makes you think. I loved hearing his music too! You always feature people and stories that really inspire in even more ways than writing Love this!!
ReplyDeleteOh this is so beautiful. The poem moves from line to line and I took little breaths reading it, little pauses to not miss a word. Thank you for introducing me to Jackson Frank. The bittersweet beauty of his story reaches the bittersweet emotions I am feeling now.
ReplyDeleteI left a comment for you earlier, just want to add that Gillian Welch could sing these lyrics beautifully.
ReplyDeletePS, I didn't leave a comment sharing how much I enjoyed your poem. Another Shay masterpiece ....
DeleteI love how you weave to the gentle rhythm of the breeze. This makes me long for summer again... fall is already upon us
ReplyDeleteI listened to Jackson Frank whilst reading your poem and hear it as a song- some beautiful lyrics woven around the narcissus but most striking for me is "and lonely pale the breeze"
ReplyDeleteThis moves with sweet gentleness and yet there is a hidden note of melancholy and longing. So lovely Shay!
ReplyDeleteLanguid and lovely, as a ballad sang to a lover, personalizing the breeze. The tinge of the erotic is subtle but fecund. I agree, this is another "Shay masterpiece".
ReplyDeleteThe ghosts weave in and out of the lines, like layers of transparent dreams.
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful how you personify the breeze, and so successfully. I can smell the narcissus, feel the zephyr on my skin, see that curtain snaking into the room <3
ReplyDeleteThat’s beautiful Shay.
ReplyDeleteThat is... exquisite. Beautifully and deftly done.
ReplyDeleteThe rhyme is hypnotic and as always when you use it, never cloying, just a chant that draws a picture with rhythm and beat and hides the little sharp knife in the words. I especially love the third stanza, with the shadowy Gypsy, the repeating theme of narcissus and the curled image and twist of the close. Top notch, Shay.
ReplyDeleteDark and beautiful as ever, Shay. Like a gothic fairy tale. And told with such effortless rhyme. Love this stanza especially:
ReplyDelete"You are a carnival
so the fortune teller swears
in the mirror where the Gypsy
weaves narcissus through your hair."
What a beautiful wild way to be described.
:-)
Fantastic, gorgeous imagery! I'm usually not a huge fan of rhyme, but I think the way you used it here is really effective.
ReplyDelete