Who changed you, water lily, who betrayed
and left your leaves to sway half-drownëd here?
Your moon-dazed face is pale, night-sick, afraid.
Water lily so wounded, so austere.
You of many stems but a single face--
no voice at all except poems water-writ.
Who muddied the stars of your secret place,
and forced such a sorrowful alphabet?
________
A rispetto poem for What's Going On?--"The Dark"
Music: the late Marianne Faithful Sad Lisa
A very dark and atmospheric poem. So many times of late the alphabet seems sorrowful. I loved your music selection!!
ReplyDeleteThe imagery in this poem is just so amazing. The wounded water-lily with the moon-dazed face. And the water-writ poems. Wow. So good.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mary and Sherry. Your images tell a sad story, and your music reinforces it--but adds a tiny bit of hope. "Who muddied the stars of your secret place?" indeed. There's a hidden story here. I like the form, and especially the slant rhyme of water-writ and alphabet.
ReplyDeleteThe song, your words, images create such a world of sadness and enigma! Everything is said yet beyond the grasp of all. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI love the darkness at the heart of your Lady Poet rispetto, Shay, with her leaves swaying ‘half-drownëd’ and her ‘water-writ’ poems.
ReplyDeleteAnother in the Lady Poet series, I presume, but this one is much more formal, literally, speaking in form, which gives it a gravitas and melancholy force all its own. The images are dark and striking and as always, totally original, and the language superb. I especially love the timeless feel of that first stanza, and the understated truths in the questions of both.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully done to form. I really like the use of compounding and that final line. I felt this poem deeply.
ReplyDeleteThe darkness, the mood of your poem is striking. Beautiful
ReplyDeletecan only echo the above ~
ReplyDeleteWonderful use of form to tell your dark tale of the water lily. I have to say your labels are creative and always make smile.
ReplyDelete“ forced such a sorrowful alphabet?” Wow.
ReplyDeleteHeartbreakingly beautiful, as only lady poets of your ilk can be with your "poems water-writ."
ReplyDeleteSimply gorgeous, Shay. I love "poems water-writ" and "sorrowful alphabet." 🌸
ReplyDelete