Friday, March 18, 2011

swashbuckle reprise














This sword drawn overhead 
grows lazy in my palm, 
as creeds melt away, 
remarkably obtuse, slow
on this road that has no turn.

The walls of my mind
are covered in hushed,
unspoken wallpaper,
a mecca, calm as gentle Jesus,
shielded by invisible memories.

My blade becomes a trowel,
a garden hoe, to till
in search of long-buried
love, the dead, who know
there is no rage in Heaven.



Tess Kincaid
March 2011




artwork by Tim Cantor
at
Labels: ,

78 comments:

  1. hyperCRYPTICalFri Mar 18, 08:29:00 AM

    Oh My! I wish I possessed your artistry with words Tess. Truly magnificent!

    Anna :o]

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  2. jeanette from everton terraceFri Mar 18, 08:39:00 AM

    I do love how YOUR words "dance on the page" :)

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  3. CorinnaFri Mar 18, 08:58:00 AM

    Beautiful.

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  4. MerisiFri Mar 18, 09:06:00 AM

    Tess,
    your fountain of words
    goes to the center of it all.
    Truly amazing.

    Thank you for providing the link to Tim Cantor,
    the artwork you chose to illustrate your poem
    made me immediately want to know more about the artist.

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  5. AnonymousFri Mar 18, 09:25:00 AM

    Tremendous wording and deep thought. "The walls of my mind covered with wallpaper" and searching for the long-buried love". Your creativity is remarkable!! :)

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  6. AnonymousFri Mar 18, 09:26:00 AM

    btw.. great picture. Let's clang the swords!! :)

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  7. Tess KincaidFri Mar 18, 09:31:00 AM

    En Guarde, Unks! x

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  8. AnonymousFri Mar 18, 10:01:00 AM

    It is so comforting to know...there is no "rage in heaven". All the ill will and bad feelings will fall way from us as we leave our earthly bodies. The sad thing is we have to wait until then...or do we?

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  9. Alan BurnettFri Mar 18, 10:54:00 AM

    Beautiful Tess,
    "The walls of my mind
    are covered in hushed,
    unspoken wallpaper"
    has gone into my notebook.

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  10. AnonymousFri Mar 18, 10:55:00 AM

    I like the poem and some lines are fabulous.

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  11. ShaistaFri Mar 18, 11:04:00 AM

    My blade becomes a trowel... there is no rage in Heaven.
    Like you said on my blog post, forgiveness is the first step to healing :)
    a wonderful poem today, when ceasefire has been declared in Libya.
    As for tomorrow... I guess we just keep gardening?

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  12. MartinFri Mar 18, 11:10:00 AM

    Not only a beautiful poem, but an oblique introduction to the works of Tim Cantor. I'm grateful to have had the pleasure of both, on this grey afternoon in the UK.

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  13. Folkways Note BookFri Mar 18, 11:30:00 AM

    As always -- a thoughtful piece -- enjoyed -- barbara

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  14. AnonymousFri Mar 18, 11:36:00 AM

    The walls of my mind
    are covered in hushed,
    unspoken wallpaper,
    a mecca, calm as gentle Jesus,
    shielded by invisible memories.

    This left me in awe...speechless.

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  15. NoxalioFri Mar 18, 12:01:00 PM

    oh Cicero you, Tess ... i love this ...

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  16. Glenn ButtkusFri Mar 18, 12:20:00 PM

    Remarkable poetics rising soft out
    of your childhood memories, and
    plied by your maternal instincts,
    and your loving world view. I liked
    /to till in search of long-buried love/
    which is the seed of nostalgia, the
    voice that calls to us in our dreams,
    the images that catapult us backward
    from our photo albums. We stand,
    sit, squat in the presence of a
    sterling earth mother, who delivers
    her sweet diatribes through lines
    of poetry.

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  17. AnonymousFri Mar 18, 01:27:00 PM

    What does it take to turn a sword into a plowshare? Forgiveness? Time? This poem, surely, its washes cleaning somehow enough of the heart. - Brendan

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  18. *Fri Mar 18, 01:42:00 PM

    Loved this poem, especially the last lines (they bear the wisdom that only a poem can hold, only a poet can share):

    "the dead who know
    there is no rage in Heaven."

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  19. sukipoetFri Mar 18, 02:05:00 PM

    i like the way the sword becomes a trowel. do you know the Charlotte Perkins Gilman book The Yellow Wallpaper.??

    I think you can make a beautiful poem out of anything, the mark of a true poet.

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  20. TrulyfoolFri Mar 18, 03:26:00 PM

    Tess,

    I wish creeds would melt away.

    Or at least become, simply, gentle and without rage.

    Builders, not killers.

    Trulyfool

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  21. RodakFri Mar 18, 03:51:00 PM

    I'm with Terresa: I liked the last lines best of all.

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  22. UnknownFri Mar 18, 04:23:00 PM

    Wow. How excellent is thy poem :)

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  23. Stafford RayFri Mar 18, 05:12:00 PM

    Tess, this is my favourite of all your poems I have read! And that puts it up there with the best in any company.

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  24. Amanda SummerFri Mar 18, 05:30:00 PM

    swords, sabres and swashbuckling - you've got blades on the mind lately!

    this poem starts with a nod to damocles, a sword trimmed down to a trowel at the end. a life, sharply rendered.

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  25. versusFri Mar 18, 06:08:00 PM

    I am just discovering your blog.
    Joyce and poetry in concert, nice landscape for my eyes !
    Versus

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  26. chantalFri Mar 18, 06:11:00 PM

    Very nice Blog !

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  27. ensemble5Fri Mar 18, 08:34:00 PM

    J.adore ,magnifiquement bien écrie!!

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  28. Pat TillettFri Mar 18, 09:10:00 PM

    Really strong and really good!
    I'm loving the new look of your blog also!

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  29. Anthony DuceFri Mar 18, 09:56:00 PM

    Wonderful. Like this a lot.

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  30. UnknownSat Mar 19, 09:30:00 AM

    You started the inner reel, evoked the process of turning swords into plowshares, in a most brilliant manner.

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  31. AnonymousSun Mar 20, 04:28:00 AM

    Tidy

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  32. AnonymousMon Mar 21, 04:25:00 AM

    Simple but powerful! Let the mindless killings all around us come to an end. For, God knows not the creeds; not the sects;not the nations; but just love. You have put it well!!

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  33. Brother OllieMon Mar 21, 11:22:00 AM

    Agreed and Amen.

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  34. anthonynorthMon Mar 21, 11:48:00 AM

    No rage in Heaven is a great ending.

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  35. Kathe W.Mon Mar 21, 11:48:00 AM

    once again you amaze me!

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  36. Isabel DoyleMon Mar 21, 12:42:00 PM

    great prompt and great poem, thanks Tess

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  37. AnonymousMon Mar 21, 12:43:00 PM

    Beautiful from beginning to end. You are indeed a weaver of the poetic form.

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  38. Uma AnandaneMon Mar 21, 01:14:00 PM

    Lovely words....amazing!

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  39. NankaMon Mar 21, 01:45:00 PM

    Truly captivating!! And the winning lines are
    ".... to till
    in search of long-buried
    love, the dead, who know
    there is no rage in Heaven."

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  40. The Blog of BeeMon Mar 21, 02:09:00 PM

    Your wonderful talent leaves me speechless. You are indeed a true poet.

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  41. Brigid O'ConnorMon Mar 21, 02:19:00 PM

    Great poem, Tess, I loved the last lines, beautiful.

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  42. Rob KistnerMon Mar 21, 02:25:00 PM

    Excellent Tess...

    rob kistner
    Image & Verse

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  43. LynMon Mar 21, 03:06:00 PM

    Love the ending..it brings peace to my heart!

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  44. AnonymousMon Mar 21, 03:11:00 PM

    superb

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  45. Laurie KolpMon Mar 21, 03:51:00 PM

    Beautiful and vivid imagery... I love "unspoken wallpaper"...

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  46. AnonymousMon Mar 21, 04:29:00 PM

    Calm, peaceful... "as creeds melt away".

    The walls of my mind
    are covered in hushed,
    unspoken wallpaper

    is beautiful!

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  47. ReflectionsMon Mar 21, 06:30:00 PM

    Love the message that lies deep within the soil of your words.

    Peaceful moments, peace giving creeds held.

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  48. Carrie Van HornMon Mar 21, 06:48:00 PM

    ...so many wonderful lines...this is amazing Tess! :-)

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  49. Tumblewords:Mon Mar 21, 07:26:00 PM

    Stellar piece. It rings with truth and sings with magic...

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  50. UnknownTue Mar 22, 01:24:00 AM

    Hi Tess. Awesome. Your poem is treasure chest of words. Great!

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  51. RNSANETue Mar 22, 02:42:00 AM

    Put down the swords and bring out the trowels...let the posies blooms where blood was shed!!

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  52. indiwriterTue Mar 22, 03:04:00 AM

    Beautiful thoughts on life and love.. 'hushed wallpaper'.. lovely imagery!

    cheerz,

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  53. earlybirdTue Mar 22, 07:13:00 AM

    I love this: 'The walls of my mind
    are covered in hushed,
    unspoken wallpaper,'

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  54. ShariTue Mar 22, 07:24:00 AM

    Unexpectedly gentle and beautiful. As I get older, I find my youthful rage and passion melting away into peace (not boredom as I feared when I was young).

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  55. RJ ClarkenTue Mar 22, 10:18:00 AM

    Wow Tess - that was amazing. I love what you can do with words!

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  56. LouiseTue Mar 22, 11:21:00 AM

    Well done Tess, wonderful poem, assured and sharp.

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  57. HelenTue Mar 22, 11:32:00 AM

    Sword as an instrument of peace .. this is wonderful!

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  58. cosmos camiTue Mar 22, 12:23:00 PM

    Excellent!
    I love a powerful last line and this was powerful.

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  59. AnonymousTue Mar 22, 01:18:00 PM

    Powerful piece...well beyond my skill level to create, but not beyond my ability to appreciate. vb

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  60. OliviaTue Mar 22, 01:21:00 PM

    Very comforting to know!!
    If only I knew the way to that perfect harmonious place.. do they allow devils.. hehe

    Loved this one!
    Hugs xx

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  61. Kristen HaskellTue Mar 22, 02:14:00 PM

    Another fantastic piece Tess, you are amazing!

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  62. Words A DayTue Mar 22, 04:25:00 PM

    Wonderful!...hushed, unspoken wallpaper - thats so original, and beautiful, and i love the last line.

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  63. Rek SeshTue Mar 22, 04:46:00 PM

    Awesome....loved the last line....

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  64. Brian MillerTue Mar 22, 05:57:00 PM

    wicked good write tess...you have such finesse with your words...

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  65. Coloring Outside the LinesTue Mar 22, 09:06:00 PM

    Wonderful! Last stanza- brilliant!

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  66. FireblossomTue Mar 22, 10:15:00 PM

    Gorgeous ending, Tess.

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  67. T F CarthickWed Mar 23, 12:14:00 AM

    Really enjoyed this poetry. Deep and introspective.

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  68. Shashidhar SharmaWed Mar 23, 03:13:00 AM

    Dear Tess

    Its beautiful. I liked it so much. Thanks for sharing...


    ॐ नमः शिवाय
    Om Namah Shivaya
    http://shadowdancingwithmind.blogspot.com/2011/03/whispers-seed-and-senseless-living.html
    At Twitter @VerseEveryDay

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  69. Other MaryWed Mar 23, 09:28:00 AM

    This is just beautiful, words and sentiment. It should be required reading for every world leader!

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  70. AnonymousWed Mar 23, 10:39:00 AM

    Ah. From swords to plowshares. :-) Nice.

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  71. gautami tripathyWed Mar 23, 01:48:00 PM

    Wonderful tapestry!

    the beast demands

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  72. JhpoetryWed Mar 23, 04:16:00 PM

    A unique write, full of mystery yet revealing something. hmmm Nice

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  73. patriciacaspersWed Mar 23, 09:02:00 PM

    I love the blade becoming a trowel. So unexpected. Thanks for sharing!

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  74. DickThu Mar 24, 03:03:00 AM

    Warrior's rest. An elegant and moving elegy, Tess.

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  75. Lucy WestenraThu Mar 24, 02:15:00 PM

    Thank you, Tess. Very intriguing.

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  76. LeAnnThu Mar 24, 08:19:00 PM

    Tess, yours is so beautiful and here I went all silly with mine. But this is what makes Magpie so delicious, isn't it?
    LeAnn

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  77. KavitaFri Mar 25, 02:14:00 PM

    You are a true wordsmith, my dear Tess... lovely magpie!

    The subtle romanticism (although this one's about death) just leaps out of the screen...really well written!

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  78. M. A. S.Wed Apr 13, 02:23:00 AM

    Oh I like this, the idea as much as the imagery. I like how the sword ceases to be a weapon, but does not become useless.

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Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
― O. Henry (and me)

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