The TFE Poetry Bus is up and running, leaving from Scotland this time, as Rachel Fox takes us on the first leg of the International Tour. Our challenge was to write a poem about one of our favorite words. This poem and the poem that follows, Serendipity, both were inspired by that challenge.
GRACE
Brace yourself
For a fall,
For a sparkling
Sprinkling of golden,
Whirling seeds,
A covering
Of cool geometry,
A misty morning coat
Of quenching rain.
Brace yourself
For a slaking
Of your thirst,
For fulfillment
Of yeasty yearnings
For the stir
Of summer soil,
For the touch
Of someone other,
For the gravid
Nourishment
Of life.
For what are you
But a cup to catch
The wonders
Of the world?
And what is this
But a libation
Poured in offering
To the earth?
So, brace your
Undeserving self
For the feel
Of freely granted
Grace,
Covering you
Like water
From Creation's Sacred Well.
Grace, a beautiful word. That third stanza is stunning, Karen. The whole poem is rich with grace, but you got a boatload of it in
ReplyDelete"For what are you
But a cup to catch
The wonders
Of the world?
And what is this
But a libation
Poured in offering
To the earth?"
Are you going to take the ReadWritePoem challenge for April?
Karen, this is lovely! Your words gather the reader's senses in your poetic homage to this time of renewal. Each stanza gracefully cascades to the final line, 'like water from Creation's Sacred Well.' Truly inspirational!
ReplyDeleteLovely poem Karen.Gravid is a great word.
ReplyDeleteKaren, you should do a collection of our favorites...as in, every time one of your readers tells you this is a "new favorite." That would be a huge volume. This is now my new favorite!
ReplyDeleteI love the repetition, the wonderful music in the words, and the deep meaning. I also love how strong the beginning and ending stanzas are. Beautiful!
In agreement with all the above, and the use of "Brace yourself..." is inspired!
ReplyDeleteReading it again, it's the second stanza that blows me away. I like the strength of the poem, when so many people would have had a rather airy grace, I think. This is solid.
A cup to catch the wonders of the world. What a lovely image.
ReplyDeleteI love your favourite words, Karen and also how you weave these wonderful pieces around them. My fav. line has already been picked up by others. "A cup to catch the wonders of the worldA cup to catch the wonders of the world" is a classic.
ReplyDeleteI'm just glad that I'm not on the bus. It would be real tough writing a piece on 'buttscratcher'! Yes, to a Family Guy fan, it is a word. Come on, just say it aloud once. You'll like it. Go on. Give it a try. :D
Oh this is so inspiring and full of joy and positive energy. Like Spring!
ReplyDeleteMissed you very much my friend~
beautiful writing, Karen!
Calli
How weird!.. we write in the same sort of format.. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, loved your flowing depth.. beautifully woven..
Lots of lovely assonance and half rhymes in this. The words pour out like a liquid.
ReplyDeleteNice! :-) Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is the "cup" line too. I almost picked the word 'grace' as well, but I'm glad I didn't now.
ReplyDeleteThis is just beautiful. I loved,
ReplyDelete"For a sparkling
Sprinkling of golden,
Whirling seeds,"
and the coat of quenching rain. Such wonderful imagery.
Chris - Thanks for your comment on this one, and yes, I intend to meet the challenge, although I'm not very prolific usually. That means I'll have lots of drafts and poor poetry that won't be posted, but I'll write!
ReplyDeleteJeanne - Thank you. I often use "creation" when I mean creator/spirit.
TFE - Pregnant pause, here. :-D
Julie - Thank you, sister, poet, and friend.
JoAnne - I hoped this was a kind of solid grace that one feels. I appreciate your mention of that.
Emerging Writer - Thank you.
Ani - I think you should give it a try! I'm thinking rhymes: flycatcher, dreamsnatcher... You can do it!
Calli - Hi! Welcome back to blogland! Thanks, dear!
Watercats - We did, didn't we? It's interesting to see someone else make the same choices. Thanks for your comments.
Peter - Thank you! I love the sound of poetry as much as the sense of it.
evalinn- Welcome, and thank you.
Argent - I'm glad you didn't, too! (Hate being shown up, I do!)
Ann - Thank you - very courtly of you! ;-)
Such potent metaphors. Your poetry always lives.
ReplyDeleteLOL! Dreamsnatcher! Sounds like a great name for a villain. Would use it someday!
ReplyDeleteYou are a genius!
wonderfully musical, calling up images and feelings, each distinct and connected
ReplyDeleteJason - Thank you. That's quite a compliment, and I appreciate it greatly.
ReplyDeleteAniket - He could be the evil twin of Dreamcatcher! Go for it!
NanU - Thank you!
i love the impact of this - how grace isn't something you breeze through, it's something you brace for - once again, you completely nailed it.
ReplyDeletei love the cup line as well, and many others, especially "For fulfillment / Of yeasty yearnings" - tranforming what is fermented into something fresh. fantastic!
what a graceful poem. my favorite lines:
ReplyDeleteFor what are you
But a cup to catch
The wonders
Of the world?
i think we could all slow down enough to catch the wonders of the world and drink it until we're full. the world has so much to offer. thanks for sharing such a beautiful poem. have a great day.
so good to be back reading/ commenting again. hope all is well.
Really uplifting - I love the choice of the word Grace - and the way you just burst into that first verse is fantastic.
ReplyDeletenicely done as always, karen :)
ReplyDeletea scots word i'm partial to: teasel
joaquin - I think grace is so undeserved that it receiving it just knocks me over, and it's not airy and theoretical. It's actual - yeasty. This season of such grace absolutely blows me away.
ReplyDeleteNaquillity - I'm glad you are back, and I thank you for pointing out that we all need to slow down and remember our blessings.
Chinese Person - Thank you! :-)
Pure Fiction - Thanks!
laughingwolf - Hello! Thanks - and I'll wait to see what you tease out of "teasel"! ;-)