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| Pharos ~ Kerry O'Connor |
When all the lights went out,
I looked for you
but you had already left me,
taking yourself away in the confused
aftermath of your own self-doubt.
And the nights seem endless now,
the starred sky, a bed of nails
and every stabbing wound,
the pain of sabotage.
Wherever you are, out across
the grey wasteland of sea and stone,
you are not asleep either.
I hear my name on the salty wind
and it is your voice calling.
I have fuel enough to ignite the lantern
one last time, to set the beam
and guide you home.
But I do not know when to strike the match.
Art FLASH! in December
The symbolism of the lighthouse which I used: It is feminine, reminiscent of an enclosed area, a walled sanctuary, and a safe haven.
Moving and beautiful, Kerry, I love the imagery in this poem, from the lights going out to the ‘starred sky, a bed of nails’, and the ‘grey wasteland of sea and stone’. The final line leaves me guessing – the match holds such power.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kim. I tried to imagine what it must be like to live in that tiny house all alone, last guardian against complete blackout, and tie it to an emotional reaction.
DeleteSuch a beautiful poem of longing and love - so very touching
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jae.
DeleteNow see, most would have left off with your penultimate line, but your addition of that final stand-alone line makes the entire poem and lifts it to another level.
ReplyDeleteHow nice (I guess) if we could manage people and events, erect our great light and sit back letting the sea do its work. But life, and affairs of the heart, are never like that. Everything turns on things we can't control, and you have captured that, utterly.
Thank you... I guess I am always a sucker for Dystopian love thematics.. or dramatics, as you will. There's the whole 'Love in the Time of Cholera' motif, which has infected my poetry over the years. But I could never write about happy endings.
Delete;)
My goodness this is incredibly poignant, Kerry!❤️ I love the dystopian shade you have given to the Lighthouse of the Pharos.. and the beautiful use of colours in the painting! The moment I saw it I was instantaneously inspired. Especially love; "I hear my name on the salty wind and it is your voice calling." Thank you for the glorious prompt!❤️
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sanaa. What would anyone be without a strong beam of light across the dark sky?
DeleteMore than a few Swords and Cups in this as well. You are never more artful or evocative than when you strip things down to their emotional bones; your work with the meat of this archetypes is full and rich, both with savor and with loss.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Hedge. I am heavily influenced by tarot themes these days, so I love that you see the swords and the cups here. As an Air sign, I strongly identify with the Queen of Swords, as a Gemini with the Lovers, sometimes in the reverse.
Delete;)
Yes. I agree with Shay. The entire poem is amazing. And I loved the direction it took. But the final line really did lift it onto another plane. Fantastic, Kerry. I somehow thought I had left a comment earlier, am glad I came back to check.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sherry. I am glad you like this one.
DeleteHow easily the reader is taken in with the words and pictures that paint the scene so well, and the anxiety of the narrator desparate to be with their partner again. A beautiful poem.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Robin. I wonder who needs the other more: the haven or the wanderer.
DeleteI have fuel enough to ignite the lantern
ReplyDeleteone last time, to set the beam
and guide you home.
But I do not know when to strike the match.
The lighthouse keeper should not be at a loss, as to when to start the beaming. Striking the match is a given. He has to start operating when it darkens! Great correlation to the picture, Kerry! Going to miss you Ma'am!
Hank
Hank
You are so right, hank. Thank you for the insights.
DeleteAns, I won't be gone too far.
Haven indeed -- Pharos was lifted high, certainly, because the wrecking was intense ... The beacon sent out here is one fraught with long and deep personal peril at this game of welcoming, the risk of offering sanctuary. And to strike that final match, there has to be a reverse signal, a ship's declaration that it's foundering and in need. The hardest work is done in the heart ... Great images too Kerry, are these part of a deck? A sailor's Tarot? Iseult's water cards?
ReplyDeleteI always love your angle on the yin and yang, friend. One must be wary of the ship's need, as well as one's own calling.
DeleteI do love the idea of Iseult's water cards. I love designing cards of all descriptions, something about the finite space and how much symbolic value may be achieved, like a poem, I guess.
I would love to complete a full deck some day.. but it seems like the mission of a lifetime. So I channel my vision into a few now and then.
Many thanks for stopping by.
I still feel the emotional claustrophobia, the questioning of whether or not to light the match. Is a last chance worth returning to a present plagued by baggage. Love the poem and so love the art.
ReplyDeleteYour comments give one pause for thought indeed, Susie. Thank you so much.
DeleteThere is a whole story here about an emotional separation and the only chance to change it back... the lighthouse symbol is such a powerful one.
ReplyDeleteThis is why I love the symbolism of cards - we attach meaning to words, scenarios, objects which enlighten our own way of thinking.
DeleteStrong and yet vulnerable... I greatly relate to the voice you've used here. The ending is amazing...
ReplyDelete"I hear my name on the salty wind
and it is your voice calling.
I have fuel enough to ignite the lantern
one last time, to set the beam
and guide you home.
But I do not know when to strike the match."
What did you... how did you... I can't even! :)
There is something both resilient and vulnerable about a lighthouse, perched on the edge of the ocean at one of its rockiest points.
DeleteThank you.
‘I have fuel enough’ more than one way to interpret. Beautiful poem.
ReplyDeleteThat last line changes the tenor of this poem. Many lighthouses are losing ground as the oceans was the shores out around them, most notably is the Hatteras Lighthouse. Hopefully you will know when to strike the match.
ReplyDeleteHatteras was already moved back once... It is a gorgeous beach. Next to my Ocracoke - a short ferry ride over. Yes, this poem is so awesome. I feel loss, longing, and a bit of hope. And weariness. And strength - but perhaps not everlasting. Loved this and your drawings so inspire me.
ReplyDeleteThis is so full of intense longing. I feel as if you are a sentinel, much like the lighthouse, waiting.
ReplyDelete