Ophelia in Hamlet by William Shakespeare
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| Death of Ophelia Kerry O'Connor @skyloverpoetry |
You believe you know all the essential things,
like a name, how long it has been since the first day;
Yes, you may know where you are, and how
you arrived at the shore, recognize even, the divide
But, you do not know the water’s depth;
you find yourself too cold to cross the river.
You do not understand how my soul streams
from the unseen world of infinite dreams
Drowning you in a vision of what may be,
what has already been and what exists now, always.
A poem, quote and illustration for Rommy's Challenge in The Imaginary Garden.
Wonderful, Kerry. And we both write about classical characters and death.
ReplyDeleteYes. The classics are very memorable, and filled with the essential wisdom of humanity.
DeleteWhat a profound poem - and i love how you absorb the quote
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteLove your choice of Ophelia. Yes, we all bring our own sloshing Sea World with us into every situation, don't we?
ReplyDeleteThere is something infinitely appealing about Ophelia's final journey... My daughter says it is because she has the "Fuck it!" attitude.
DeleteLaffin hard. Your daughter sounds like someone who gets right to the heart of a thing!
DeleteLove the depth in the poem and play with water~
ReplyDeleteI was going for that so I am pleased to know it worked out.
DeleteSomeone, I think it was my 11th grade English Literature teacher, said, "We touch wisdom when we can acknowledge that we don't know a damn thing about other people's feelings." Your poem made me think about that. About how little we actually know when we are convinced that we truly understand others.
ReplyDeleteThat is certainly a truth to live by.
DeleteThere will always be others who think they know more about a situation than the person actually going through it. Most days it's not worth the energy to try to explain things to them, especially if we're trying to keep from drowning.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is not worth the energy to attempt to explain.
DeleteThere are certain things about someone that are knowable and there are things that are unfathomable.
ReplyDeleteHow very true!
DeleteI feel this one. Especially relate to: You do not understand how my soul streams from the unseen world of infinite dreams.
ReplyDeleteI am happy to know that this poem resonates for you.
DeleteThe water’s depth ~~ unknowable. Your poem touched me, deeply.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Helen. I appreciate you.
DeleteYes, this poem is full of feeling; of love and sadness in fact.
ReplyDeleteThank you
DeleteWe can't know each other in all our depth. We can't even know ourselves, I think, fully. But to have dreams and try to share them may be what saves us.
ReplyDeletePerhaps it saves us all.
DeleteThere are so many layers to a human being. To say we truly know someone is most likely delusional. Well done Kerry.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Linda. A very apt observation.
DeleteOphelia is the ne plus ultra of the Beloved's Gaze, is she not? The infinite water we may never reach, as what is infinite in us yearns from a place no Other may sound. This is so well-crafted and strung, this harp of Ophelia, of such drowning loss, so immersed in what we are. The painting soars and sears on its own. As Mistress of the Imaginary Pond, there is a farewell of that caliber too. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteOh Brendan, I never understand my own poetry so well, as when I read your response - Thank you for your insights, which I pay a whole lot of attention to. And Bon Voyage, as the stream caries us all away and we finally reach the open sea.
DeleteI like the quote this poem was birthed from, Kerry. None of us really knows another completely.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful quote- I like the ‘ not knowing the waters depth ‘ . A deep poem.👍🏽
ReplyDeleteI think I commented on this through Instagram but just stopping to add I love the addition of your art work so much. Did you get a chance to watch that documentary?
ReplyDelete