The ring of water grew slowly; washing,
in circling, funnelled, constancy,
against the earth on which she sat. The
floods had come, both literal and symbolic,
watering the dry, hard ground of psyche and
of soil. It was, they whispered, just
a stage that she was going through, or was
that growing through? In the silence,
on the edge of fallowed fields of broken
grain, she could almost imagine that
the land would be swallowed by that suck
of snaking river, released, when dams
broke, further upstream - in places she
had never seen and of which she could
only dream. Dust settled between bare
toes, and sighed in dark sorrow at
the edge of sole, until, at last, as the
sun fell limply into stubbled fields,
she dropped her feet over the edge;
and washed the grains of dirt and memory
from all that she had become in that
time, at the edge of ageing worlds.
https://dversepoets.com/2017/03/21/poetics-the-river/
in circling, funnelled, constancy,
against the earth on which she sat. The
floods had come, both literal and symbolic,
watering the dry, hard ground of psyche and
of soil. It was, they whispered, just
a stage that she was going through, or was
that growing through? In the silence,
on the edge of fallowed fields of broken
grain, she could almost imagine that
the land would be swallowed by that suck
of snaking river, released, when dams
broke, further upstream - in places she
had never seen and of which she could
only dream. Dust settled between bare
toes, and sighed in dark sorrow at
the edge of sole, until, at last, as the
sun fell limply into stubbled fields,
she dropped her feet over the edge;
and washed the grains of dirt and memory
from all that she had become in that
time, at the edge of ageing worlds.
https://dversepoets.com/2017/03/21/poetics-the-river/
Oh, man. Those last lines, in particular, are powerful.
ReplyDeleteLife washes us to where we need to be, even as we protest.
DeleteI especially love those closing lines.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much.
DeleteAbsolutely gorgeous! And I do admire your way with enjambment (which I might have said before).
ReplyDeleteThanks. You have said before. And the fact is, you taught me the word. I did not know there was a name for what I do instinctively. :)
DeleteThis is so much your own voice in poetry.. and you do end it up beautifully.. the river is both beginning and the end,
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautiful write. The sense of sorrow, of loss,of change inevitable is palpable. There is a blanket of wisdom thrown over the whole piece.Wisdom of experience. Thank You for your wonderful response to the prompt.
ReplyDeleteI do appreciate your words.
ReplyDeleteI love the sounds of this poem, Rosslyn, the whispering and the sighs. I especially love the lines:
ReplyDelete'watering the dry, hard ground of psyche and
of soil...'
'on the edge of fallowed fields of broken
grain, she could almost imagine that
the land would be swallowed by that suck
of snaking river...'
and
'Dust settled between bare
toes, and sighed in dark sorrow...'
A poem from a dry place where water is magic and devouring. Very emotive.
ReplyDeletei too feel the strength of the river and think it can be both in our lives, develop as well as guide us, striking the balance is crucial - lovely words so delicately assembled
ReplyDeleteI liked the ideas of "growing" through a stage and washing the grains of dirt and memory in the river.
ReplyDeleteI feel a sense of growth in this piece. Beautifully done!
ReplyDeleteThe ending lines are powerful. The whole poem is beautifully penned Rosyln.
ReplyDeleteGosh so much to love and admire here.. especially; "on the edge of fallowed fields of broken grain, she could almost imagine that the land would be swallowed by that suck of snaking river, released, when dams broke, further upstream - in places she had never seen and of which she could only dream" is incredible!
ReplyDeleteThanks to everyone who took the time to read and comment.
ReplyDeleteYou wrote elegantly about the river, Kim. I felt the movement with the ring of water and psyche is priceless.
ReplyDeleteThere are a few layers in this artfully woven together. A beautiful poem full of meaning :)
ReplyDelete