the last love of icarus
(an old flame)
all day long i listen to the song
of grasshoppers, crickets, and beetles
after a time, i can hear nothing else
the buzz of a hummingbird sipping nectar
from windowbox purple petunias
shifts me from there to here
again
and again
and i marvel at wings
quite literally
spun from sugar
you drive into the world of concrete jungle
you drive into the world
you drive
away
as i walk these paths
choked with weeds and chewed up leaves
pulling a cloak of clouds over your shoulder
to remind me that the stars are always lit
and i am here
here
with only these crows for company
some days they tell me of your travels
some days they carry me to grace
some days they peck at my shiny rings
as i reach for the sky with lost fingers
some days
they bring me
white feathers
held in beaks flecked with blood, stardust
and gold
.
.
.
.
Linking up with the fabulous dVerse poets for Open Link Night – join us
Note: I am having problems commenting on WordPress blogs for some reason… but I am still reading!!
August 20th, 2013 at 8:38 am
love the contrast between nature and where they drive off to in the concrete jungle…my fav lines….
to remind me that the stars are always lit
and i am here
smiles…i makes me think of them affirming our identity….and the magic of the companions along the way in the ending and what they do for us….
August 20th, 2013 at 8:45 am
some days….how fortunate that we are here to read how your “some days” evolve.
August 20th, 2013 at 9:06 am
i wish i had better words to tell you how much i love this, but those will have to do. i love this.
August 20th, 2013 at 9:21 am
A wonderfully reflective and emotional piece, built up from concrete images. That contrast is so effective in driving home the message. Nice job.
August 20th, 2013 at 10:44 am
That photo really grabbed me! Your words almost had a lonely ring to them, but I know it’s not the concrete jungle that you miss.
August 20th, 2013 at 11:15 am
The wanderer and the stay-at-home, the exiled and the one who escapes – it’s never so clear-cut, is it, there is always some yearning involved, whichever side of the fence we are on.
I like the dazzling, crystal-like language and the sense of wonder you so often awaken in me with your poems.
August 20th, 2013 at 11:50 am
Absolutely magical – both word and image. Love the mystery that surrounds your ‘some days’!
August 20th, 2013 at 12:39 pm
A completely mesmerizing poem – so love this – and the title is just wonderful 🙂 K
August 20th, 2013 at 1:00 pm
Your poem gave me goosebumps! So wonderful and the image too!
August 20th, 2013 at 1:27 pm
<3 LOVE this! So good. So very good.
August 20th, 2013 at 3:04 pm
Love how you describe those hummingbirds with wings of sugar… and that jungle of concrete… such a contrast.,
August 20th, 2013 at 3:07 pm
pulling a cloak of clouds over your shoulder
to remind me that the stars are always lit
Just gorgeous writing
August 20th, 2013 at 3:20 pm
I love the dichotomy at work throught the poem. Well done, really.>KB
August 20th, 2013 at 3:22 pm
Magical and powerful don’t even begin to describe this. Love!
August 20th, 2013 at 3:22 pm
the structure, word choices and art work are just brilliant.
August 20th, 2013 at 3:36 pm
Oh! The emotions of Icarus are finely represented in your words. What eventually happened to him makes this poem a tragic read. It is beautifully created.
The contrast between the crows and the humming bird leaves a mark.
August 20th, 2013 at 3:37 pm
amazing what we can hear when we listen… lovely read
August 20th, 2013 at 3:43 pm
WOW! This is the most amazing take on Icarus I have ever read! Imagine! Everyone sending one they love off to somewhere else with hopes and dreams! Ai-yi! I love the lost and bloody fingers and I pray, pray that better prospects await all.
August 20th, 2013 at 3:47 pm
There is some really gorgeous imagery here — so beautiful! Thank you for sharing it.
August 20th, 2013 at 3:49 pm
“pulling a cloak of clouds over your shoulder
to remind me that the stars are always lit”
luminous and melancholic – a stunning retell of Icarus, but not quite Daedelus – I’ve never asked before, what of Icarus’ mother? ~ M
August 20th, 2013 at 3:50 pm
I really like how the perspective shifts from the birds to the person longed for to gold. Just excellent.
August 20th, 2013 at 3:58 pm
When one wants respite from the concrete jungle, it isn’t surprising the other wants to drive, fly, risk, dare. Also not surprising when he takes the chance to fly that high, the sun will melt those sugared wings. Well said here!
August 20th, 2013 at 4:11 pm
I love your horizontal stairway to heaven in the structure of your lovely words.. I also enjoy remembering George as he reminds me of my yellow boy too and all the other yellow cats I have loved so much in my life…
August 20th, 2013 at 4:14 pm
wow..that pic is completely different from your usual style…but def. love the energy…love the wings spun from sugar and the grit and energy of the pic reflects in your words as well
August 20th, 2013 at 5:37 pm
thanks, claudia, you are right, i am taking a new photographic artistry course, trying out some new techniques here!
August 20th, 2013 at 4:15 pm
the ending just took my breath away..a really powerful writing, Kelly, loved this..
August 20th, 2013 at 4:35 pm
Fascinating structure. I love how you used the crows to carry messages in this poem!
August 20th, 2013 at 4:40 pm
I love your title and pic… and the movement in the poem! Beautiful, kelly.
August 20th, 2013 at 5:33 pm
A great movement of emotion felt through structure and word choice – I have an affinity towards crows. 🙂 You really captured me through your imagery. Very lovely indeed! Excellent image too!
August 20th, 2013 at 8:00 pm
This poem is rich with thoughts and I am glad that we can still be reminded that the stars are always lit.
August 20th, 2013 at 8:29 pm
Be still, my heart. You’ve touched upon so many of the things in nature that are a part of my life. I’m so grateful to live in a mostly-rural area. The hummingbird’s wings spun of sugar…perfect!
August 20th, 2013 at 8:41 pm
Love your picture and words Kelly specially opening verses and the turn to the crows ~
August 20th, 2013 at 9:12 pm
This speaks to me with particular power just now, as I have moved from a rural location surrounded by nature, wildlife, wonder, to an urban home just a stone’s throw from a university campus and a streetcar ride from downtown. I have inhabited both worlds. And I have loved the one who leaves to go to the other.
http://www.kimnelsonwrites.com/2013/08/20/transformation-2/
August 20th, 2013 at 9:44 pm
I loved the contrast of worlds. A poem filled with longing. If I had to choose, I pick staying in the woods over moving to the jungle, even at the price of love.
August 20th, 2013 at 9:49 pm
to remind me that the stars are always lit
and i am here…love the words and the pic, great poem.
August 20th, 2013 at 10:59 pm
love this poem, and title, and it tells so much of emotion but leaves the details for us to imagine
August 20th, 2013 at 11:33 pm
the buzz of a hummingbird sipping nectar
from windowbox purple petunias
this extract lifts the roof and sings to heaven and the formatting works so well and the picture is perfectly in tune with the sense of the poetry as it breaks on my tongue
kissing pleasure to read
August 21st, 2013 at 5:49 am
Sad, in a beautiful way! ‘to remind me that the stars are always lit’ – This is a lovely phrase.
Great illustration at the top!
August 21st, 2013 at 8:14 am
That title is fantastic 🙂 This poem makes me remember my brief respite staying home–while my husband worked–he’d come home and I’d be in delight about a bird or flower, and he’d look at me with confused work-weary eyes… a beautiful poem
August 21st, 2013 at 8:30 am
What a fabulous contrast and conflict ~ very beautifully written ~ thank you.
August 21st, 2013 at 10:34 am
Beautiful poem, lovely images!
one day
a butterfly dream
and all my storms
a world away
August 21st, 2013 at 11:18 am
Lovely poem. It went straight to my heart. Nice reminder that the stars are always lit. I find a lot of depth to your words. Really enjoyed.
August 23rd, 2013 at 9:55 pm
wow, that closing stanza is perfect