Lilac Dream
Beneath the backyard lilac bush,
I curl up like a folded bud.
The hard, cool ground comforts my cheek.
The plump pendant blossoms curtain off the world,
Their sweet pungent scent a cloud that lifts me
And drifts over the house,
Where harsh words machete the air
Through the kitchen window.
I float like a balloon over the treetops while
The world below unfolds in a quilt of soft pastels,
A colorful cushion that rises to meet me,
Surrounds me with silence,
So, when she says she is leaving him forever,
I don’t really hear it.
The following poem is a villanelle which is mainly a French verse
form using two rhymes and consisting typically of five tercets and a final quatrain. The first and third lines of the opening tercet rhyme and recur
alternately at the end of the other tercets and together form the last two lines
of the final quatrain. The second line of the first tercet rhymes throughout with the second line of each following tercet as well as the second line of the final quatrain.
I’m Doing Quite Well
I’m doing quite well since you went away,
In case you’re curious or want to know,
I seldom think of you more than all day.
I’m hoping soon to “move on,” as they say,
Although I can think of nowhere to go.
I’m doing quite well since you went away.
Cooking for one is quite hard, by the way
(My George Foreman grill wants to say hello).
I thought of you twice…well, ten times today.
I gave your skis to the YMCA.
The golf clubs and tools are the next to go.
I’m doing quite well since you went away.
Oh, sorry, you wanted those things, you say?
Oh well, too bad, you should have let me know.
I’ll think of you just a few times today.
I’m not sure if it’s Monday or Tuesday.
I’m trying to survive ‘til tomorrow.
I’m doing quite well since you went away.
I’m damned if I’ll think of you twice today!
I love your poems Susan. They seem to slid off the paper and into my ears so easily and joyfully, even though the subject matter was neither easy nor joyful. The first poem reminds me of every kid, every person who finds their own life when the life around them basically sucks - and sometimes that life becomes quite poetic and beautiful despite the surroundings. To those people I tip my hat. Your Villanelle is masterful. I love how you build and grow the strength of the one who was left. Thank you for giving us these wonderful windows <3
ReplyDeleteSusan, I love your poems. You have a way of placing me in the scene, experiencing all the sensory details, feeling the emotions, the obvious ones and those below the surface. They look so simple, but they are full and wide and complex. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDelete