In the April of Covid 19
Day 3
“And the shadowed head of pain casting tomorrow like a thorn”
Dylan Thomas
Visions
This is not entirely nightmare this surreal landscape
with all its soul subdivisions and silences
distance is all the steps it would
take to cross out the vision
of my world
without
all the degrees
east north west of my heart
worn thin as a needle of compass.
Should I hold you inside myself unharmed
or know how many deaths I must die before I die?
Skylover Wordlist: Vision
Play It Again Toads: Existentialism
I'm enjoying your shapes! And I'm impressed with how beautifully you fit the words/meanings into them.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rosemary. I just centre them on the document page and fiddle around until they look right.
DeleteThis is absolutely brilliant in its visual representation, Kerry!💘 It adds emphasis to the ordeal of living and dying. "distance is all the steps it would take to cross out the vision of my world." My sentiments exactly 💘
ReplyDeleteI love this: “Should I hold you inside myself unharmed”
ReplyDeleteWhat would the world do without mommy-love — for their own, but also all of mankind?
I suppose it is that idea of holding loved ones inside the womb, that mothers feel when their safety is under threat.. and that feeling extends to all whom we love.
DeletePerhaps the most frightening thing about this nightmare is that it's not entirely so, being one we are in, independent of sleep. I love the nuance of combining 'subdivisions,..silence,' and 'distances..' and your last lines are exceptional in their human reality. The hourglass shape is also a telling touch. A pleasure to read you each day, Kerry.
ReplyDeleteYes, at least we can awaken from nightmares and ask ourselves, What the fuck was that all about... now the question is moot/mute.
DeleteMy poems are tapping into the raw places, Joy. I look forward to a time they may turn to less sombre themes.
here's my today's "vision" take ... which isn't quite a "normal" poem "format" ... just words that don't quite fit into any one genre, crossing over I guess ....
ReplyDeletehttps://indigomidnightwildchild.blogspot.com/2020/04/undone-and-thirsty.html
(thank you)
There is something that is ... hmm.... almost writhing, within your words Kerry - but in a gentle, not frenetic way. It has me fascinated - as you speak of soul subdivisions, distances, holding something within - perhaps life's spark, or hope, or energy, or even that stretch where one is a mother waiting on a birthing ... it's simply a fascinating and complex piece. I like the feeling of it very much - the concrete ambiguity - it certainly speaks of existentialism and crisis. And holds a tenderness within - speaking of our vulnerability and frailty. As Joy noted, a pleasure to read your words each day Kerry.
I do love your description of this poem. I feel that writhing within but it is not always something that can effectively be conveyed with words.
DeleteIt is a surreal landscape for sure. Your two closing lines have much impact.
ReplyDeleteThank you for coming over to read, Sherry.
DeleteIndeed, we are in a surreal andscqape. Wonderful Kerry.
ReplyDeleteWhat questions, what visions...so glad you are sharing yours with us. I don't know what I'd be without creativity.
ReplyDeleteSometimes i fear my visions are too stark for poetry, but I am trying to work through them as best I can.
DeleteYou answered my question with this wonderful shape, Kerry, like an hourglass. Two are amazing phrases leaped out at me: ‘soul subdivisions and silences’, and a ‘heart worn thin as a needle of compass’. A surreal vision indeed.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kim. It feels like something within me is being subdivided every day, and it is wearing me thin.. the poem is a manifestation of my state of mind.
DeleteDylan superbly quoted again....and a slight shift in the shaping...a mirror image...and into existentialism in the shaping itself...are we all but mirrors of the time? Your first line is so very powerful and makes a statement of fact (seemingly) of a surreal world...but as the mirror image appears, it ends in a question about life and death. Just excellent!
ReplyDeleteI was going for that mirror image idea, or hourglass shape. thank you for your insightful comments.
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