Do not ask what more I know.
Gazing in the crystal, the dark parts
grow hazy, small and indistinguishable.
Am I accustomed to midnight,
or are the memories swallowed up in white?
Dreams are shadows of reality, trompe l’oiel,
3-D. Mine were lost, back when cars had wings
and angels had halos. I am a citizen
of the human race. It sounds hollow,
but I will sleep when I am dead. Black snow
continues to fall, so hitch a sled, let's ride
tonight, since the best of times is now.
grow hazy, small and indistinguishable.
Am I accustomed to midnight,
or are the memories swallowed up in white?
Dreams are shadows of reality, trompe l’oiel,
3-D. Mine were lost, back when cars had wings
and angels had halos. I am a citizen
of the human race. It sounds hollow,
but I will sleep when I am dead. Black snow
continues to fall, so hitch a sled, let's ride
tonight, since the best of times is now.
Tess Kincaid
December 2010
Would you like me to read it to you?
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The 'best of times' is certainly now. That I can confirm.
ReplyDeleteI love it! Yes, the best of times is now, live all that you can, tomorrow is full of uncertainty and yet full of promises.
ReplyDeleteCro, unlike Charles Foster Kane's memories of his beloved Rosebud, my best of times IS now.
ReplyDeleteAh, Tess, you provoke such memories. This is so poignant.
ReplyDeleteAs for the first line, I would not presume to have an opinion on that. Your poetry is gorgeous.
Yes, drop the first line. I thought it was going to be about a fortune teller, not about memory and the present. It's not a bad line by any means...it's just in the wrong poem, in my opinion. There's a whole other peom waiting to start with that line.
ReplyDeleteWhether these are the best of times or not, they are the only times we can do anything with, until they pass. Still, I think cars should have fins and chrome. I missed the chance to drive a car like that! Where are my pearls?
I think it would be fine without the first line, but I don't know what you had in mind when you wrote it.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as I saw the picture, "rosebud" was the first thing I thought of.
Am I accustomed to midnight,
ReplyDeleteor are the memories swallowed
up in white?
~ devastating thought.
Nima, in my case, the swallowing up of memories is a good thing.
ReplyDeleteNo leave the first line. It sets the mood for the whole poem for me. This is a very thought provoking poem and I love that last line.Isn't that why we call it "the present?"
ReplyDeleteyeah nix the opening line....
ReplyDeleteit has a great flow from there...and even amidst the worst of times, we can make them the best of times by choosing to ride...
Fireblossom, like I told Nima, for me, it's about scouring my crystal and realizing I have forgotten the dark past and am enjoying the now.
ReplyDeletewonderful! the best time is always now---living fully--loved hearing you read the poem as well! c
ReplyDeleteYes, live in the moment!
ReplyDeleteIdyllic, really. Thanks for getting me in the winter spirit.
That is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteYes yes and yes. Also, I like hearing you read it, thanks for doing it again. I listen first then go and read it a few times, then go through the comments to see what I didn't get and others did. I enjoy it all.
ReplyDeleteDear Willow, Such a life affirming comment....the best of times are now....Yes, let dark thoughts vanish into the night as one enjoys a sleigh ride in the snow in the present. Your 'Rosebud' certainly looks to be a most beautiful antique, just waiting to whisk you off into Wonderland.
ReplyDeleteEdith, I bought my Rosebud last summer at a garage sage for $12. Isn't she a beauty?
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, these lovely words brought tears to my eyes. Well done Willow.
ReplyDeleteI too remember “when cars / had wings and angels had halos.” A lovely line and an engrossing poem.
ReplyDeleteI like using the well loved things from the past to enhance a present experience, it makes the two blend into one great Now.
ReplyDeleteI'll be thinking of a new piece for this lovely prompt!
I loved this.
ReplyDeleteIt felt like a brief and wonderful conversation you have with someone that reverberates for ages.
Trompe l'oeil? Brither, did I pick up on this vibe from your prompt this week, or did I pick up on this vibe? And I wrote my offering before I came to read yours - who is gazing in the crystal ball here?!! Spooky!
ReplyDeleteJinksy, heehee, I am sending out my potent vibes throughout the world of Magpie! Loooook into my eyes!
ReplyDelete...oops, they're covered!
ReplyDeleteI am by no means an expert, but I love the first line;)
ReplyDeletecheers
Yes- the best of times is now...evocative poem
ReplyDeleteHow lovely to hear your voice, Willow! I don't know if you began sound recordings while I was absent under the ocean, but this is the first time I've heard.
ReplyDeleteI'm no nexpert at all on poetry, but I do like this and it's mood is so strong.
Wow.
ReplyDeleteI am blown away.
this is amazing.
As Yoli expressed, your poem brought tears to my eyes as well. Today! Glorious now! Embrace it!
ReplyDeleteIt's perfect as it is.
ReplyDeleteThe dark parts growing hazy is how it's supposed to be.
I love your philosophy, a reminder to hitch my sled and continue my "best of times" ride.
ReplyDeleteLovely, Tess. The best of times is, indeed, now! May your "now" be blessed during the holidays and always.
ReplyDelete"Am I accustomed to midnight, or are the memories swallowed up in white?"
ReplyDeleteThis will linger in me for a while, like a strong refrain, a haunting smell.
I live it. All we have is now, and so it's truly the best.
ReplyDeleteIt is your poem, no part should be left out. I learned from Kat that the poet puts in there from her soul and we hear what is present in our sour. No revisions are acceptable if I am the writer. Love it.
ReplyDeleteQMM
Oops that should say from our soul.
ReplyDeleteQMM
Yes Tess, the best of times is now. Never to let up. Excellent take!
ReplyDeleteI do love Citizen Kane so. I'm having some difficulty piercing through the profound imagery of your poem. It speaks to me of death, inventively at that. A dead man's memories differ from a living man's: light and darkness changing places. A dead man talking of dreams. A man having been dead while alive, having lost his dreams long ago. There's much of irony to this piece, and the more I consider it the more I like it.
ReplyDeleteIf not now, when? In our time though, one wonders!! This provokes thought..
ReplyDeleteLike how you've worked some cliches in and de-cliche-ed them by context. We go on because we have no choice, and in the end know going on is not only inevitable, but right. Great work (and reworking)--on message throughout.
ReplyDeleteI found this thought provoking piece dark even for you, Tess. And the appeal to live in the present doesn't quite extinguish the 'black smow' image. It got to me, so I am glad I wrote my piece before readng yours.
ReplyDelete'The wise live in today but save some for tomorrow'.
But if you want help 'Gazing in the crystal' because 'the dark parts grow hazy' Facebook me!
'Dreams are shadows of reality' - and thank goodness, some nights ;-)
ReplyDeleteThe best of times is now; a great last line but somehow still woven with sadness. a beautiful poem.
ReplyDeleteJust lovely, both dark and light.
ReplyDeleteI have no problem with the first line either; strange how we each read a poem differently.
ReplyDeleteVery nice...from one citizen of the human race to another : )
ReplyDeleteThat was a great movie, haven't seen it in years. I can't believe you found your Rosebud for $12!
Nearly four score of commenters
ReplyDeletealready posted in; that's what I
get for living in the northwest
corner of country, mired in Pacific
coast time.
Yes, Rosebud, was the launching
point, and yes, your very own sled
is gorgeous and one hopes it will
take many an evening ride, for
though you have no mountains,
you have plenty of hills;
This is another excellent effort,
and its complexity challenges us,
for it suggests pain in the past,
and darkness that have been
weathered and white washed
with the brilliance of wisdom
and the Now, so those crazy
60's, when some of the older
cars were made in 1957, and
had non-functional wings,
and Hallmark angels, and
Catholic ones all sported their
halos like bling, you seemed,
or your memory links us to
some part of you, to travel
through your past as a
cavalcade, capped by the
/black snow/, meltdown,
creative and nuclear winter.
yet a wild ride on Rosebud,
swishing through the snows
of late Autumn, plowing on
into Winter eminent, leaves
us with hope, with joy at seeing
your sad smile, your poet's and
earth mother's resignation,
hearing it in your voice,
feeling it brush past us like
a poetic missile.
"Mine were lost, back when cars had wings and angels had halos."
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful writing, made even more beautiful by hearing you read your words.
The best of times IS now...
thank you!
Tess,
ReplyDeleteLove 'black snow'. It's the reality that poem wants to distance with its (milky?) crystal whose dark parts get indistinct, its white-swallowed memories.
As a midnight human, you expect the 'sleep', but realize that the late night sledding, 'black' though the snow may (at least metaphorically) be, is the best, being (I infer) the only.
Like your grab on this, halo-less one!
Trulyfool
Dear Willow: "I am a citizen
ReplyDeleteof the human race."
Citizen Kane, great movie! Love the black and white imagery...A modern day publisher. Rosebud is NOW!Definitely...lets go; "let's ride tonight,...":)
I like it very much!
ReplyDelete"Mine were lost, back when cars had wings
ReplyDeleteand angels had halos." A truly great line, Tess.
carpe diem for sure. The older I get, the more I realize how true that is! Great job
ReplyDeleteGreat write and great read - the title drops one immediately into a parallel with the classic Citizen Kane...I do hope that was the intent! Strong flow, good philosophy.
ReplyDeleteRosebud.
ReplyDeleteCitizen Kane lives!
And we have "miles to go before [we] sleep" — "sleep, perchance to dream" — in black and white, or full colour, with the angels.
I do love the last statement.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the moment.. I have a sled just like that an painted rosebud on it.
ReplyDeleteI now wonder about rosebud, and
what poor Marian Davies thought about it?? LOL
yvonne
tess my brother had a sled like this and i loved it because of the steering. see i had a toboggan. you used your feet or your hands to steer it and the ride was less sensational. i live very much in the moment but always with an eye to creating the potential for amazing moments in my future. steven
ReplyDeleteGlenn, it's always quite a treat to read your comments, my friend. They're a post unto themselves. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Truly. "Black snow" was one of my favorite elements in this piece, as well.
ReplyDeleteSo many good lines and images -- a pleasure to read!
ReplyDeleteChris G., yes, you got it. "Citizen Kane" was the inspiration for this piece, except my Rosebud does not represent great childhood memories, like Charles Foster Kane's sled. Instead, for me, it represents the present.
ReplyDeleteYvonne, I've been waiting all day for someone to mention the Marian Davies angle! I purposely left that element out of this piece. heehee
ReplyDeleteThe best of times is now....how ture that is....another awesome poem Willow...i love it!
ReplyDeleteI am with you, my childhood memories are best swallowed up in white. As for the first line I absolutely love it. It rings clear that no matter what the memories the best of times is now. How many weeks can I keep saying that this one is my favorite. I am envious of your gift it is magnificent!
ReplyDeleteVery nice Tess, love the reading...thank you ...bkm
ReplyDeleteDon't change a thing! I was sure when I read it, then I listened to your reading and I am sure of it. The opening line is prelude to unanswered questions so just "enjoy the ride!"
ReplyDeletewhile the comments have been helpful, I am still mixed on this one to be honest. I know you have received much praise, but it is not a favourite one of yours. I feel like I am being torn between pessimism and optimism and not sure where to turn.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely adore this, Willow.
ReplyDeleteI will sleep when I am dead... a definite! No time for that now, live, live, live!
ReplyDelete'Best of times' is always reflective of what the others might be... Such depth and still your amazing subtle references to things past and present. Great write as always.
ReplyDeleteBlack snow reveals and hides so much - it triggers images both chilling and friendly. Nice piece, indeed.
ReplyDeleteWillow,
ReplyDelete"And so it goes."
No time like the present to renew our memories by engaging in old revelries.
I remember vividly "hookin'" cars on unsanded streets.
Hookin' my dad's fuel oil truck was a mistake though, 'cause he knew and steered the truck (slowly) over a bare spot! Lesson learned, and story told.
I am a citizen
ReplyDeleteof the human race. It sounds hollow,
but I will sleep when I am dead. Black snow
continues to fall, so hitch a sled, let's ride
tonight, since the best of times is now.
Oh dear Tess, my dearest Willow,
If only you can imagine how this sings to me.
Have to do some rummaging tonight for an old poem this brings to mind.
Willow,
ReplyDeleteGreat poem! It reminds me of my little statement, "Happiness is a Choice"... its so easy to get caught up into the speed of the day and forget just what we have given and live for the moment!
:) The Bach
Lord Thomas of Wellington
I thought the lines "Am I accustomed to midnight, or are the memories swallowed up in white?" utterly brilliant (I wish I had written them ;-). They resonate with the core of my being, which brings me to this: as for "Do not ask what more I know," all I can say is that I won't...I don't have to. Here's to riding the black snow, Tess Kincaid, for as long as it falls, as long as there is blessed night and a sled.
ReplyDeleteDown with the old memories, up with new!
ReplyDeletewho hid that story for us to find
I will respect my body by eating appropriately and
ReplyDeleteenjoying delicious natural food given by my creator.
I accept things as they are and surrender
to the field of all possibilities. All is well! <3
I see the greatness in all situations and seek what will bring me joy.
I was born to live a joyous life!
I like your paean to life and living now! New Snow
ReplyDeleteYou have the most lovely way of bringing life to your photos with words.
ReplyDeleteKudos, my dear!!
Eerie and enchanting and lovely. Your poetry is consistently fresh and wonderful.
ReplyDeleteYou said it, Tess! We gotta start enjoying the NOW... cuz that won't be coming again.. EVER!!
ReplyDeleteYou have painted a dark but true picture with your words here, my dear.. and it refuses to go away now...
I like the interplay of white and black. Everything may not be how it appears?
ReplyDeleteWillow, I love the way you write. You have a great sense of which words to use and how to use them. GREAT economy of language. Love and Light, Sender
ReplyDeleteMy first thought when I saw the prompt (Rosebud)
ReplyDeleteYou are one terrific writer.
I read this when there were only a few comments but guess I didnt comment. First line. I like it. It orients me re: crystal although possibly it is not needed.
ReplyDeleteBlack snow, reminds me of black rain and Hiroshima
let's ride tonight hmmm several meanings. love the last line.
Suki, heehee, yes, I like that "ride tonight" has more than one meaning! :^)
ReplyDeleteI should think so Tess! Laughing...........
ReplyDeleteTruly a great memory-invoking poem. "Black snow continues to fall" is my favorite for it's irony.
ReplyDeleteswing down, sweet chariot stop and, let me ride...
ReplyDelete~ Dr Dre...it just seemed fitting
Wow! I love the way you write. Living in the now is always an excellent endeavor. I wrote about this very thing after reading some of my Father's journals, on my other blog, Mystical Journeys.
ReplyDeleteTess, I found this poem very moving. My father's birthday is the 8th, and he has been on mind all week. He is beginning to really suffer from fronto-temporal dementia now, and it is difficult not to anticipate (and worry about!) the future. It's best to focus on the here and now, as you point out -- even if there is surrounding darkness.
ReplyDeleteNow is the best of times. No more searching for better or dreading worse..now is the time to live. You've given me a battle cry this morning. Beautifully done. I'm on that sled.
ReplyDeleteglad i read this...interesting comments thread... the end was a loud triumphant shout..great read...cheers pete
ReplyDeleteA lovely swirl of words, thoughts and feelings.
ReplyDelete"...since the best of times is now"
ReplyDeleteWhat a powerful line. It reminded me to live NOW rather than in the idea of the future. Thank you for this!
I am not surre that, for me, now is the best of times. I have, never in my life, been plagued with such misfortune, poor health, and calamities. I'm still trying to keep a positive outlook, though.
ReplyDelete"let's ride
ReplyDeletetonight, since the best of times is now"
true be that!
I love the photo prompts for Magpie.
Very special, melancholy--carpe diem!
ReplyDeleteindeed the best of times is now...and all that's passed becomes a haze...your poem inspires me to dance between the two...
ReplyDelete