is broken.
W.S. Merwin
 |
| Flame Keeper Jason Limberg Used with Permission |
You made a promise,
the kind that tastes of blood and salt
when spoken:
‘I will always be here.’
and thus you remain
as if rooted
while the years and seasons
wrap themselves around you
and branches grow
from your skull
always bare
always heavy
as the thoughts
which burn trails
set your nerves alight
and the night moths flutter
like snowflakes
of sorrow from your eyes.
‘I will always be here.’
Words unspoken:
Only your crown of bone branches
and a promise remains.
Day 21 ~ PROMISE
Kim is our host in The Imaginary Garden today, asking us to delve into the mysteries of Tree Mythology.
Inspired by the amazing art of Jason Limberg, I have gone a bit further than the prompt intended by pursuing the mythology of young women transforming into deer, which abound in European and North American folklore.
This is absolutely riveting!📝🔥The opening lines speak volumes about the significance of the phrase "I give you my word." I also love the image "the night moths flutter like snowflakes of sorrow from your eyes."❄
ReplyDeleteSo many fables are a means of expressing the human condition, I believe, so I tried to knit the two together. I'm glad you enjoyed it, Sanaa.
DeleteI admire Jason Limberg's work, Kerry, and I love that you have run with the prompt and explored transformation mythology, 'the kind that tastes of blood and salt'. I especially love the promise and the permanence of being rooted:
ReplyDelete'while the years and seasons
wrap themselves around you
and branches grow
from your skull'.
Thank you, Kim. I really enjoyed the challenge! Very imaginative to put oneself into the transformation process.
DeleteVery beautiful and a bit dark. Nice!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful but dark is what I aim for. Thanks!
DeleteWhat is it about myth that we revere, other than it promises to remain? Very intelligent and deep response here, both to the reality and irony of myth -- first, it promises to remain, as we promise to return to it; and second, leading from the Merwin epigraph, promises are made to be broken and myths are skulls we keep hammering for a god's response, hearing only the echoes of our pounding. We can only ask in the falling rain, who broke the promise first?
ReplyDeleteIn a nutshell, friend, you got it!
DeleteLove how you branch the myth of transformation into the tree myths... as if one myth grows from another.
ReplyDeleteIt evolved that way, Bjorn!
DeleteWonderful transformation myth poem. I like how the woman changes into a deer - in the forest! The trees and creatures are all tied together so well. I was the state mythology champion for three years running and the ones where the gods chased after the woman always made me sad. here you have given escape to a woman in much need of it but also, given a promise of transformation and return. "Only your crown of bone branches
ReplyDeleteand a promise remains." I like how you refer to the antlers as bone branches. did you know that deer shed them every year and that the animals of the forest nibble them for the protein and keratin contained therein? Probably you do so I apologize if I am being redundant. I loved this dark and light tale of promise.
I am pleased you enjoyed the poem, Toni. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
DeleteThe night moths fluttering like snowflakes of sorrow from her eyes is so beautiful. I love the myths about women transforming into deer. This is such a beautiful poem, Kerry.
ReplyDeleteIt has its symbolism for sure.
DeleteThis is fascinating Kerry. I am unfamiliar with the myth.j I like the image of a “...crown of bone branches...”
ReplyDeleteI think it is from the lexicon of folklore, rather than religious myth but I remember the story from childhood.
DeleteThere is often, (for me anyway) an element of beauty in dark writing when nature is part of the equation. I really like your phrase "crown of bone branches." I like how it portrays the deity mythology so well. Beautiful
ReplyDeleteI always find something a little sinister in the mythologies, perhaps even cruel. Perhaps that's why we find them enthralling.
DeleteThis has that wonderful quality of myth, that somehow grabs hold of one at a deep level, at once mysterious and something you feel you've always known. All the same, I'm glad of the explanation in your notes, as otherwise I wouldn't have understood about the young women, not being familiar with that folklore.
ReplyDeleteI am glad this poem captured the imagination of my readers. Thanks to all!
DeleteIf it tastes of blood and salt, then it must be quite a very hard truth
ReplyDeletePowerful myth, Kerry. Love the wording of the poem, and the image used.
ReplyDeletewhy is it we all know the night moths? perhaps their flight to the flame is ours ~
ReplyDelete