GIVE ME THUNDER
Frankly, I'm fed up
with things abstract;
I cannot wrestle the invisible
and balancing on air
is no easy task; tripping
sees me falling
upwards or sideways
but never down.
Give me a beam
to bump my head on
a tree to climb, stones
on which to stub
my toes, blood I can see
and stop with neon plasters
from a cluttered kitchen
drawer. I've had enough
for now of words
and drawing images
out of words, enough
of untangling love
and need for love,
discerning the difference
in bottomless pools.
Give me white-ribbed cowries
an amber ball to roll
beneath my feet
down to sand
and salt water's edge.
And give me thunder. I want
thunder that rams through rocks
and rain that thuds into rivers
in large, hot drops.
CB
Fierce was the billow, dark was the night (in process) Pastel on paper - CB
Yours for "white-ribbed," dear Claire.
ReplyDeleteLong let it rip, your plea!
Ah, yes.
ReplyDeleteWonderfully evocative, and speaks to me in a grand & thunderous voice.
And it goes so perfectly with the pastel!
Lovely work, Claire.
I love the clear voice in this.
ReplyDelete"And give me thunder. I want
ReplyDeletethunder that rams through rocks
and rain that thuds into rivers .."
Yes--thank you, Claire! Love the power in this poem. Love the way the painting is starting to look as well.
Love the 'large hot drops' and the way the poem moves - fantastic drawing too.
ReplyDeleteReally like this Claire - it has great momentum, just carries the reader through and some fantastic images.
ReplyDeleteA different voice for you Claire? Is it your fed-up voice maybe? It suits the poem wonderfully; fitting and powerful! Love it. (And the painting). Really love how the poem ends.
ReplyDeleteDear Mim - 'long let it rip, your plea!'
ReplyDeleteThank you. This is a pretty tough-nosed poem, but hopefully the ferocity in it travels through and out, rather than staying suppressed, repressed, locked in. Our truths can sometimes be a little less than pretty, but then again, life is constantly unfolding, constantly in motion...
L, C x
Hi T - this thunderous voice is not one I 'let out' very often but I'm learning (s l o w l y) that there are times when it's okay to sound this kind of note. Chaos and roaring are very real parts of it all, aren't they? Hope all's well with you over in Seattle. L, C xx
ReplyDeletei love the drawing, and the beautiful visuals in your plain words. i hear the thunder gathering.
ReplyDeleteDear Mim, T. Clear, Helen L, Kathleen, Mary & Alicia... I'm not sure what happened to your messages. They were there one minute, gone the next.. as were my responses. Thank you for coming by and for giving this poem the tick... It's a slightly different voice for me, but a plea/a statement that wanted out. Better let it pass through the system than dam up and get stuck, I reckon?
ReplyDeleteKay and Susan, I appreciate your comments. I do love thunder storms, the unapologetic spectacle of them and the way they clear the air.
Thanks all.