Sunday, April 14, 2013

First Warm Day




Spring, 1935 by Kuzma Petrov-Vodin 
The sun coaxes yellow
from flat cocoons,

in early evening sinks slow
behind the exhale of passing cars.

I cradle you in crossed arms,
twilight sheets

starlings nest in the loft,
your hair smells grassy, like tea

I drink dandelion portions.
Love grows like children,

steady, unnoticed in winter
then bursts at the seams.

Suddenly we've outgrown
all of last year's spring.



tk/April 2013 


Thank you R.A.D. Stainforth for this beautiful read. 

52 comments:

  1. I love the part about her hair smelling like tea. Love it!

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  2. Love and lust are always best conceived by the breath of spring.

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  3. Outgrown last years spring ! yup ! thanks Tess, I like this poem!

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  4. Yeah, TOTALLY... the "your hair smells grassy, like tea" is one of the best lines ever. Man, I'm THERE, totally. Great image. (or great "smell"?)

    fantastic piece as always. Brilliant and profound conclusion. thank you!

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    1. Thank you AJ...that line came to me after a long inhale of PG Tips...

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  5. I cradle you in crossed arms,
    twilight sheets―

    Loved that!!

    patterns don't free us

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  6. The fragrance of hair - that resonates. One of my memories too

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  7. Spring is re-energizing.. and summer is within reach. This reads to me like a welcome, but perhaps the first time the couple realizes they aren't "young' anymore. I could be way off...

    Of course, it is beautiful, either way. I enjoyed your second Chapbook... two grace my poetry shelf now :)

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    1. Thanks for your kind support Margaret...fun to think of my books on your shelf...

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  8. the reading by R.A.D gives a completely different feel to these words, somewhat changing my original comment thoughts...

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  9. "Love grows like children,
    steady, unnoticed in winter―
    bursts at the seams." - this is magical !!!

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  10. beautiful lines....so close to nature..loved it....

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  11. Refreshing ode to that first warm day. It gives us a much needed breath of fresh air. And I love the smell of hair after being out in the fresh spring air. Wish they could bottle that scent.
    Great painting by Petrov-Vodin. Love the hat's red pop of color.
    Happy Spring!

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  12. Beautiful interpretation of the pic.

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  13. great lots of cool images and flow

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  14. ohhh i love the cradled in crossed arms...felt that totally..x

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  15. so very in the moment and sensual.

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  16. What R.A.D. does for your words is extraordinary. He makes that last couplet zing.

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    1. Thanks Maureen ... if you listen again you can hear me get it wrong ...

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    2. Stainforth extraordinaire...he coaxes my words to life...

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  17. This is beautiful, Tess:

    "I cradle you in crossed arms,
    twilight sheets"

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  18. Love how R.A.D. almost whispers your lovely poem ... until close to the end. Also caught that extra word (then) he inserted.
    Please send spring out my way?

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    1. Thanks Helen ... an epic failure to stick to the text ... Tess will be incandescent with rage ...

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    2. Oh I'm incandescent alright...

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    3. ... positively glowing!!

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  19. beautiful
    and RAD just breathes magic into every damn thing, doesn't he?

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    1. Thank you Rene ... gotta love Tess's goddamn poems ...

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  20. I love the 'snapshot' feel of this poem ... your images click, click, click ...

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  21. That painting brings out the ENVY in me.

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  22. Love grows like children,

    A fine lead in to the two brilliant final stanzas.

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  23. "I drink dandelion portions.
    Love grows like children,"
    well said and how quickly we outgrow, fast pace it is!!

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  24. I love the smell of grassy hair.

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  25. Feels like real love to me..cradled in crossed arms..yes, to that!

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  26. I just love your closing:

    Suddenly we've outgrown
    all of last year's spring.

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  28. Are those dandelion portions sold by little girls with a dandelion portion stand with cups sold at $.05 per portion?

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  29. Thinks:- would potions be easier to swallow than portions? :)

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  30. And the wheel keeps goin ' round !

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  31. It’s exactly what I was looking nice job for posting this.Thanks lot for this useful article, nice post

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  32. I can't even pick a single line I like best because they are all so exquisitely beautiful, you are so talented!

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  33. what a beautiful sentiment - to outgrow a season.

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  34. Your hair smells grassy, like tea- my sense come alive to this! For me, where I live, I have totally outgrown winter! Yikes- more snow rain and rain and snow tomorrow and the next day!

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  35. Tess,
    Fantastic imagery in this. Puts me right there! BTW, where can I buy some of those "twilight sheets?" They sound great!

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  36. "Love grows like children,

    steady, unnoticed in winter―
    bursts at the seams."

    These are beautiful lines. In their spirit, I interpret the last line about "outgrowing spring" in a positive light. :-)

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  37. I like this piece, especially the line: love grows like children.

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  38. A beautiful piece and so wonderfully recited! I liked it!

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  39. Tess you captured the feeling so well

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  40. This comment has been removed by the author.

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