as you leave to find sleep,
black wings cover me.
What did moths bump into
before there were light bulbs?
How did I exist before your eyes?
Flutter morning awake;
frighten me just a little
with your estuary,
the sound of oars
drawing me from the shore,
church bells in the distance.
Take me out far enough
to feel the wind in my hair.
Give me an excuse to hide,
tuck some hallelujah,
let it burn a hole in my pocket.
I dare not sin against hope.
tk/November 2013
Vorfreude (n.) The joyful, intense anticipation that comes from imagining future pleasures
I could listen to R.A.D. Stainforth say "church bells" all day...
Vorfreude (n.) The joyful, intense anticipation that comes from imagining future pleasures
I could listen to R.A.D. Stainforth say "church bells" all day...
Haunting poem, Tess, and R.A.D. Stainforth...reading from walls?.....Love the questions....we all need the witnesses...
ReplyDelete...good questions... and sad portrayal of a horror left by someone not coming back. anymore... in times like this night can offer real companion... this is like a soft, silent de profundis, Tess.... i've enjoyed it... & def Mr. R.A.D's reading as well... smiles...
ReplyDelete"I dare not sin against hope." Hope, and the prompt, is the thing with feathers...
ReplyDeleteEmily Dickinson and I are simpatico...
Deletelove it! beautifully written, and the end is perfect.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely beautiful.
ReplyDeleteLines like; frighten me just a little, and; tuck some hallelujah, remind me of the other reason I write with your community each week. :^) (Sorry for sounding like a spoiled child in comments 2 weeks ago.) I so enjoy and look forward to our write every week! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteSoft sounds in your verse this week, but meanings that weigh plenty. The last line came beautifully - tragically, with futility. Very nice.
ReplyDeleteAn absolutely beautiful from me too.
ReplyDeleteVorfreude: this is part of who I am!
Anna :o]
A wonderful dark piece of writing that leaves one pondering " I dare not sin"
ReplyDeletelet it burn a hole in my pocket.
ReplyDeleteI dare not sin against hope.
Absolutely Tess! Anything can develop from whatever cause but one must not give way to hope. Hope is a feeling of salvation that ensures continuity. Great write and good reading by RAD.
Hank
What else can sleep be beside the wild imaginings of all pleasures past, present and future.....
ReplyDeleteLovely
... 'Vorfreude' ~~ what a delightful word! I love the intensity in your words, in the 'feel' of Mr. Stainforth's reading, that last inhale.
ReplyDelete'how did I exist before' ~ sigh.
You are right, we dare not sin against hope. To treasure hope is to live.
ReplyDeletelove the last line... hope is wonderful. this was a question that my son posed while we were watching 'The Life of Pi' just this past week - how can he still hope with all that he is facing? and i told him, that in such desperate times, when hope is all one can have, they(we) will hold on to it with all our might..
ReplyDelete"How did I exist before your eyes?" Now, THAT is intense infatuation. Could be dangerous, but, oh, the vorfruede (what a great word!)
ReplyDeleteLove the new word, and "I dare not sin against hope' is spectacular.
ReplyDeleteHope is the key to keeping life in moving forward, without it it would be so hard to see a way through difficult situations. I loved this Tess and R.A.D Stainforth brings your beautifully written words to life!
ReplyDeleteThank you Katherine...Stainforth really does breathe life into my words...and so very beautifully...
DeleteI could read your poetry all day. And this poem was one of my favorites from you ever.
ReplyDelete=)
Vorfreude! How lovely to learn a new word… especially one to set beside its more famous cousin in sound - schadenfreude!
ReplyDeleteNice to read a love poem from you… of sorts :)
Thank you Shaista...glad you recognized it as a love poem...
DeleteI don't like cigarettes but I am intrigued how the smoke curls and twists about. As much as I hate to say it, it suits him. Beautiful writing - you put so much lovely thought and meaning into your poems.
ReplyDeleteIt does suit him...did you notice the great smoke ring perfectly placed at the end?
Delete"tuck some hallelujah,"
ReplyDeleteyeah.
It seems like you have another hit here.
ReplyDeleteMy God, the whole soul of the poem is encapsulated in the line "frighten me just a little." Isn't that the very essence of surrender? Of intensity? Or desire? Frighten me...just a little. Beautifully penetrating.
ReplyDelete"I dare not sin against hope"
ReplyDeleteThat's a great line, lady.