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| Resurrection Reunion 2, 1945, by Sir Stanley Spencer |
The dead await no resurrection.
They shed their wide Germanic wings;
shrouds cling moist, translucent,
like thin white condoms.
The scent settles in recollection
of beaches, bedclothes, and black dogs.
Forgotten haar pauses for the baton,
surplice and cassock,
ruff around abandoned larynx,
secrets deep between bare teeth.
They stand with crocuses among the stones;
erect and proud, heads fully extended,
ceremoniously silent.
The dead await no resurrection.
Extraordinary pairing of poem and reading!
ReplyDeletethe poem brilliant, extraordinary & somehow... redemptive (?) - in any case, fully alive, as one would hope to expect after that horror of a so-called lifetime
ReplyDeleteExceptional. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteSerious spam :(*
ReplyDeleteloved every brilliant word..x
ReplyDeleteI just love the details of the Germanic wings and crocuses.
ReplyDeleteYow and Wow! You never cease to amaze me!
ReplyDeleteAgree, best read.
ReplyDeleteWhat means this word "haar"?
ReplyDeleteGood reading by R.
haar [hɑː]
Deleten
(Earth Sciences / Physical Geography) Eastern Brit a cold sea mist or fog off the North Sea
[related to Dutch dialect harig damp]
Thanks for your kind comments, dear readers....
ReplyDeleteYeah...most likely...but hey...if he likes the videos....
ReplyDeleteThese lines, "secrets deep between bare teeth" and "They stand with crocuses among the stones" are just awesome Tess! I love crocuses anyway, and yes, R.A.D.'s reading is even more 'beat" then usual and he does all of your poems with perfection! This was fun today as usual!
ReplyDeleteOhhhhh... Tess. Vivid life and death. The reading rocks. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteComplete and entire resignation breeds NOT smiles...is NOT fun for those dead--or living.
ReplyDeleteTess, I believe everything you do--you do in excellence.
Ceremoniously silent, I whisper...thank you.
Enjoyed, Tess! Tough...and I never felt haar, now know what is that, but never felt...sounds cool!
ReplyDeleteThat's wild.
ReplyDeleteThis three lines are my favorite:
ReplyDelete"They stand with crocuses among the stones;
erect and proud, heads fully extended,
ceremoniously silent."
Particularly after savoring the first line: "The dead await no resurrection."
I can see them, bright and sure like crispy flower, following the sun, but not waiting for anything. Just being... dead.
"These" not "This" *growls a little...*
DeleteGreat reading! But then, he had some wonderful material.
ReplyDelete=)
I found this very sexy, thanks Tess,,,
ReplyDeleteWonderful....Wonderful!
ReplyDeleteThe touch of haar! So Tess..brilliant, I'll follow you anywhere...stopping before the resurrecton...very brave!
ReplyDeleteBy far, this has to be your finest writing. Your words swirl about me, in such clinging sight and truth. Bravo.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tess thanks everyone and to feel the haar creeping in across Edinburgh ... unforgettable ... your words cling Tess ...
ReplyDeleteThank you R.A.D. ... I like to think my words might cling ... possibly be taken away and remembered...
DeleteA dark but, excellent write...the last line is powerful and can be taken in many different ways...
ReplyDeleteGreat poem, and I agree... one of R.A.D.'s best reads ever. The way he spoke these words makes me think that this poem actually affected him, on some deeper level than art. The addition of a drink to the ubiquitous cigarette made for more intimate connection with his face. I could nearly taste the mix of wine and smoke.
ReplyDeleteWhat I like most about R.A.D.'s reads is that he ingests the words...makes them his own...
DeleteExcept for the ciggie (5 of my beloved relatives died of lung cancer) it was great.
ReplyDeleteVery powerful piece - the pairing is just so strong. I think R.A.D. Stainforth gave one reading better than this - hope to find it again, where he read your poem - had colourful socks in I think, or maybe it is your words that I have kept in my mind! Anyway, he read with a twinge of irony, laissez-faire and mild disdain that just worked like a crescendo - subtly of course!
ReplyDeleteI fully agree. The piece and the reading are brilliant.
ReplyDeleteHi Tess, long time no read. This is an exquisite take on the topic, and a great meditation on how there's nothing more present than what's absent. You drill that in to place here like a iron grave-marker. Best, Brendan
ReplyDeleteToo deep and poise. well written.
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