We have lost even this twilight.
Pablo Neruda
A green gloom pervades
this lilypad hiatus
where we hover
above water
below sky
like dragonflies
who have lost
their sense of direction.
We, who have chosen
to be blind
to each other,
see yet where tendrils
of the past grow
and we cling, wings inert
too afraid
of what it means to let go.
Practising the art of writing the Flash 55.
Among the pulchritude of pond imagery, there is a damp, lingering sadness, Kerry. I love the simile ‘like dragonflies / who have lost / their sense of direction’.
ReplyDeleteYour writing always shows such great sensitivity - and strength.
ReplyDeleteThat final image sticks the mind's eye, especially the "inert wings". The is something breathtakingly sad about freedom held hostage by dread.
ReplyDeleteFeeling lost and unsure is part of our journey. There are days when we wake up with a lump in our throats and words feel like smoke evaporating into the air. But we hold on because sometimes it's the only way we get past the dark, despairing and difficult stages of life and emerge victorious 💝
ReplyDeleteEspecially resonate with; "We, who have chosen to be blind to each other, see yet where tendrils of the past grow and we cling." Exquisite write, Kerry!💝
Oh, that applies so well as everything changes. I have been there.
ReplyDeleteOh that fear, that freezing fear, i know it
ReplyDeleteHappy Sunday
Much❤💃🕺🏽💃🏽❤love
This is so beautiful and poignant, that dragonfly hovering above the lily pad. I do miss the Pond. Smiles.
ReplyDeleteLike dragonflies who have lost their way - such a poignant thought. It is winter and the dragonflies and butterflies have laid their eggs among the bushes. I look forward to spring when they will hatch out of their cocoons. Hopefully they will have found their way by then. Such a soul stirring and sensitive poem.
ReplyDeleteYes! Well said (written).
ReplyDelete"tendrils of the past" sometimes won't let go. Thank you for giving words that invoke a memory of something that will not let go. This imagery flows throughout and catches more than one thought.
ReplyDelete...and how many relationships are entwined in tendrils of the past, suspended with wings inert, afraid to let go. I found this touching, and descriptive of some marriages I observe.
ReplyDeleteOh, I feel you have captured what I have been feeling. January has not been kind to either of my girls.
ReplyDeleteThe past is always difficulkt to let go, but fades like colours slowly slowy still leaving a trail..............
ReplyDeleteLetting go is hard but it does show how the heart hurts when someone special will no longer be part of your life.
ReplyDeleteHovering, between two states...choosing to be blind...clinging to the past...the imagery here is buttressed by profound philosophic and emotional quandaries. Great ideas and execution.
ReplyDeletesky, water and the hovering dragonfly... such a wise way to portray this mood
ReplyDeleteCan't believe I missed this, Kerry. There is a sadness here that seems all the more nuanced for being stated in the sparse form of 55 words. But the sparseness seems to come more from the encapsulated nature of the feelings expressed, the wandering, the fitful dance of dragonflies that is always moving, never still, and how we all live with that fear of letting go, of the bad as well as the good. (Steve expresses it well above.)Beautiful, well-crafted poem.
ReplyDeleteMaybe that's all it really is...a hiatus?
ReplyDeleteI must thank one and all for the generous commentary on this poem. I feel so bad that I have not had time to respond or pay you all a visit.
ReplyDeleteThe reality of first weeks back at work are such that I am suffering from mental and physical exhaustion at the end of every day but I will attempt to catch up over the weekend!
Lots of love!