I thought that you would be like water
in summer
even if the lake lay
beyond the brambles.
On a road trip, the heat mirage oases
seem nearer
like objects in the mirror
where I first saw you.
In summer,
birds bathe in the dog dish I set out--
they fly without rising
in that finite sky.
Your dark hair seemed to flow and called me
like a siren
whose face is obscured
like her every word.
I still set out that dog dish for the winter birds
in their need.
Mornings I set it steaming
only to find it frozen by afternoon.
There are things that flow, comforting things
already changing.
I remember your reticence and kick the bowl of ice
coming free, ungiving, falling hard and only once.
_________
for What's Going On--"what cold is"
Music: Julian Lennon Ruby Tuesday
"There are things that flow, comforting things
ReplyDeletealready changing." But not this, despite knowing even if there were obstacles, even if she was farther than she seemed, even if . . . I'd say the birds had it easier, even when the water froze. I like how you weave the unattainable siren in with the birds' ease at getting their water. I love how you end with things that flow and the kick, once, final.
Not enough good words to say how awesome this poem is. Those two closing lines. Wow. Just beautiful, painfully so.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the dog dish images and can just picture the summer birds bathing and then flying without rising. You come up with the best images really! A powerhouse of a poem.
ReplyDeleteThe image of the birds bathing and the use of the dog dish left out for the birds only to freeze stays with me. I feed the birds around here especially now that the ground is covered with snow. I can feel the frustration at the end “kicking the bowl’. Truedessa
ReplyDeleteDesire, like water, ought to flow, not freeze, ought to fly not be trapped by "reticence." All the giving unmet by comfort, love -- This is frustration indeed. I don't know if I'm reading it right, but the brilliant imagery I felt sharply and clearly.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderfully reflective and immersive poem - and I love how definite the ending is - Jae
ReplyDeleteSometimes people are not who we think they are, or will be to us, or what we might expect, as you've so intricately woven here. The mirage, the seeming nearer than they are, the obscurity, the reticence, and all of that final quatrain--so hard, icy and sharp--strikes a balance perfectly between the desire and the painful disappointment. Powerful, Shay.
ReplyDeleteI'm not smart enough to fall only once. As ever, your imagery captivates and eviscerates. ~
ReplyDeleteI really don't know how to describe this poem. It is powerful and beautiful. Your ending, wow
ReplyDeleteI am certain I have experienced this and the sting it brings the heart. No one writes of love, life, and loss as superbly as you Shay!
ReplyDeleteI love the thought of being "water / in summer". A very much comforting thought till winter touches. I also love the bird images and the close.
ReplyDelete