Beautiful and thought provoking. I had to look up counterpanes, I've never heard that before. So that took the poem to a whole different place of sad and disturbed dreams. It works perfectly with the image.
Dave - Thank you. I value your opinion, and I am pleased that you like it.
GeL - Yes, the pain is there. Writing it makes it real again but honors it, too.
Roberta - It took me quite a while to find a painting I thought reflected the poem. This is by Andrew Wyeth's sister Ann Wyeth McCoy. Thanks for your kind comments.
Cat - Somehow, "counterpanes" was the only word that would do and is key, in my opinion. Thanks for continuing to read. I value your comments.
RachelW - Thanks for stopping by and for the encouragement.
i am with bluesugarpoet. this is intimate and universal and wistful and wrenching all at once - and perfectly fleeting - a sigh that says more in its moment than any amount of words.
K. - Yes, the loss is there. I worried about the use of "disappearing ink" because I didn't want it to have comic book connotations, but I couldn't think of any other way to describe the telling of these tales. Thanks for your feedback.
I love this painting. Those Wyeth's knew what they were doing. :)
bluesugarpoet - What a very nice thing to say. Every time I write a poem I wonder if it's the last one. Keats claimed to have a teeming brain. I worry that mine doesn't "teem" enough, but you said, "poet's heart" -- I'll take that, gladly! Thank you.
Vesper - Yes, the grief is there with every breath. I think the bed in the painting -- empty -- says a great deal. Thank you for reading and commenting.
joaquin - Your comments are high compliments, and I feel honored to have you describe this small poem in this way. Thank you.
Crafty Green Poet - Welcome! Thank you for stopping by and commenting.
Really lovely. Suggestive and captivating at the same time. This really shows the power of poetry.
ReplyDeleteSimple, sad effective words evoking deep pain.
ReplyDelete(BTW, I can't remember if I thanked you for the award. Most kind of you.)
I'm speechless. This, in so few words, is so powerful. (Paired perfectly with the picture!)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful and thought provoking. I had to look up counterpanes, I've never heard that before. So that took the poem to a whole different place of sad and disturbed dreams. It works perfectly with the image.
ReplyDeleteI love the simplicity and power of this.
ReplyDeleteJust beautiful!
ReplyDeleteDave - Thank you. I value your opinion, and I am pleased that you like it.
ReplyDeleteGeL - Yes, the pain is there. Writing it makes it real again but honors it, too.
Roberta - It took me quite a while to find a painting I thought reflected the poem. This is by Andrew Wyeth's sister Ann Wyeth McCoy. Thanks for your kind comments.
Cat - Somehow, "counterpanes" was the only word that would do and is key, in my opinion. Thanks for continuing to read. I value your comments.
RachelW - Thanks for stopping by and for the encouragement.
Jennifer -- Thank you!
So lovely in its modest brevity, this poem suggests a quiet longing for something lost. (rise and fall, memories, disappearing)
ReplyDeleteIt has an unpretentious quality that makes it sincere. The painting and poem are perfectly balanced.
beautiful, Karen. I can't believe you ever shied away from poetry. You have a poet's heart!
ReplyDeleteWhat a sad and evocative poem... Very beautiful, despite the sensed grief.
ReplyDeleteAnd the painting complements it in a heartbreaking way.
(Karen, I would like to thank you again for thinking of me for the award. Much appreciated!0
i am with bluesugarpoet. this is intimate and universal and wistful and wrenching all at once - and perfectly fleeting - a sigh that says more in its moment than any amount of words.
ReplyDeletethis is sad and lonely and beautifully made
ReplyDeleteK. - Yes, the loss is there. I worried about the use of "disappearing ink" because I didn't want it to have comic book connotations, but I couldn't think of any other way to describe the telling of these tales. Thanks for your feedback.
ReplyDeleteI love this painting. Those Wyeth's knew what they were doing. :)
bluesugarpoet - What a very nice thing to say. Every time I write a poem I wonder if it's the last one. Keats claimed to have a teeming brain. I worry that mine doesn't "teem" enough, but you said, "poet's heart" -- I'll take that, gladly! Thank you.
Vesper - Yes, the grief is there with every breath. I think the bed in the painting -- empty -- says a great deal. Thank you for reading and commenting.
joaquin - Your comments are high compliments, and I feel honored to have you describe this small poem in this way. Thank you.
Crafty Green Poet - Welcome! Thank you for stopping by and commenting.
Such an ache in its somber simplicity, Karen. And perfectly matched to that painting.
ReplyDeleteI was going to quote back my favorite lines, but really, I just love the whole thing. It evokes loss and longing with every rise and fall.
It wouldn't hurt so terribly if we weren't also capable of loving so wholly.
Thank you, Sarah. It is simple, but this sort of pain really is uncomplicated; it just IS.
ReplyDeleteI'm reminded of all those times I spent sleeping at my grandmothers.
ReplyDeleteThat was truly a beautiful reflection on dreams! Excellent!!
ReplyDeleteIt's so ghostly - haunting and as others have said, lovely.
ReplyDeleteKat
Karen, I am awarding you with the Fabulous Blog award. Please come to my site to pick it up!
ReplyDeleteJR - I'm glad it evoked that recollection for you. "Grandma" is exactly who I had in mind when I wrote this one.
ReplyDeleteJason - I had hoped that the poem would be ambiguous enough that it could be interpreted as a poem about dreaming. I'm happy that it was.
Poetikat - Thank you. You have gone right to the heart of it with your adjectives. I am haunted by this memory, for sure.
Cat - I can't believe this! Thank you so much!