Saturday, October 13, 2012

A Lake

Hoisted upward by the hips, the body, a drenched hairpin
but for the flailing tornadoes storming rain in four directions,
pauses to admire the face-to-face image just after cresting the surface;
recalling to life the first love a life knows, an infatuation really,
perhaps never outgrown, a child’s favorite blanket
stored in a pillowcase at the bottom of a drawer that over time
is shared with only the closest friends less and less frequently.

Winter claims his kingdom,
petrifies the world below, forgotten
underfoot, under skate, under snow,
under the frigid table of inactivity.
Through the aged mirror pane thickened with chill,
a fading picture, almost recognizable,
is stricken, paused in time. Still,
heartbeats pound out of the red clay, dim
and rhythmic as a dying clock, barely
reaching up to their solid roof.

Boaters part the hair of the water,
swimmers take to the sand,
and Summer dredges up the long sleeping
or long dead flotsam from below.
A deep, rumbling growl, the belly of the lake,
demands the return of what it relinquished:
“Come back and get your sea fins.”

16 comments:

  1. A riveting piece. Love the imagery here--awesome.

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  2. really like the line boaters part the hair of the water :-)

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    1. Haha, thanks. I was happy that image crossed my mind at the moment of writing.

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  3. I love this poem! it takes me back to a place I really miss. I have placed this on my, "My list" page. If you wish me to remove it, please leave me a message on the page. It is located at the following URL:

    http://perainopoetry.blogspot.com/p/my-list.html

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    1. Wow, thank you. I'm so glad you found meaning in it. Be my guest to link it. I will check it out.

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  4. I enjoyed this. You captured the essence of The Lake in both winter and summer so very well. This image particularly resonated with me.

    "Winter claims his kingdom,
    petrifies the world below"

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    1. Thank you very much for reading. I appreciate your words!

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  5. A very interesting piece of writing. An seasonal adventure within...

    Eileen

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    1. So happy that you stopped over to read it! Thank you.

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  6. I have spent very little time lake-side, so found this not only entertaining, but also educational. What a fun find in this afternoons pot of poems!
    http://www.kimnelsonwrites.com/2012/10/14/there-among-the-dead/

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    1. Thank you for checking it out! And thanks for linking your blog - I will enjoy seeing your work.

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  7. I found this very vivid, with some lovely linesand images: the boaters parting the waters' hair and the petrified winter kingdom especially.

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    1. Thanks very much for reading, and your kind words!

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