Poem: "Swallowtide"
May. 25th, 2014 01:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem came out of the 2009 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from haikujaguar and LJ user Whuffle. It has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette. This poem belongs to the series Sunken Nebraska, which you can explore further via the Serial Poetry page.
"Swallowtide"
The sea and the land
have always
swallowed each other
like lovers.
The Songs That Know
explain this,
the cycles of the tides,
of silt and stone.
It is sung that once
the sea
covered the land, full
of life.
It is sung that once
the land
devoured the sea life
near to death.
The sea and the land
are lovers,
and sometimes they fight
like lovers.
There came a time
when they
tore at each other terribly,
near to death.
Then they stilled, and
the sea
lay in the land’s grasp,
breathing softly.
We who live now, live in
a good time.
This is a Growing Time.
We’re safe.
The water is clear
and clean.
We can breathe, and eat,
and thrive.
When we fly through the sea,
the shadows
of our wings race us along
the bottom.
We follow the long lines where
the sea’s teeth
once raked the land,
her lover.
They lead us ever onward to
new waters
rich in life and light
and promise.
Even the Songs That Know
have yet
to know this new place
in full.
We are the explorers;
the lobes
of our mouths enclose
the truth.
Like the sea and the land,
we swallow,
and when we hold the truth,
we sing.
haikujaguar and LJ user Whuffle. It has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette. This poem belongs to the series Sunken Nebraska, which you can explore further via the Serial Poetry page. "Swallowtide"
The sea and the land
have always
swallowed each other
like lovers.
The Songs That Know
explain this,
the cycles of the tides,
of silt and stone.
It is sung that once
the sea
covered the land, full
of life.
It is sung that once
the land
devoured the sea life
near to death.
The sea and the land
are lovers,
and sometimes they fight
like lovers.
There came a time
when they
tore at each other terribly,
near to death.
Then they stilled, and
the sea
lay in the land’s grasp,
breathing softly.
We who live now, live in
a good time.
This is a Growing Time.
We’re safe.
The water is clear
and clean.
We can breathe, and eat,
and thrive.
When we fly through the sea,
the shadows
of our wings race us along
the bottom.
We follow the long lines where
the sea’s teeth
once raked the land,
her lover.
They lead us ever onward to
new waters
rich in life and light
and promise.
Even the Songs That Know
have yet
to know this new place
in full.
We are the explorers;
the lobes
of our mouths enclose
the truth.
Like the sea and the land,
we swallow,
and when we hold the truth,
we sing.
I have got to read more of this series, too!
Date: 2014-05-25 11:18 pm (UTC)This is the kind of poetry I'm most used to-- where mood and story dance together, instead of one dominating the other, and I /miss/ it. Like missing cherry pie when the rage is for combinations like kiwi-apple or mango-berry.
Great imagery, great emotional draw. I love it. Thanks for posting.
Re: I have got to read more of this series, too!
Date: 2014-05-26 02:31 am (UTC)I think a little healthy competition or envy is okay. What to avoid is anything that makes you feel less like making something of your own. Remember that I've been at this for decades and wordsmithing is my dayjob; that adds up.
>> This is the kind of poetry I'm most used to-- where mood and story dance together, instead of one dominating the other, and I /miss/ it. Like missing cherry pie when the rage is for combinations like kiwi-apple or mango-berry. <<
Yay! I write all kinds of poetry. Along with the narrative ones, sometimes I do straight mood pieces, although that's more often nature or philosophical poetry.
>> Great imagery, great emotional draw. I love it. Thanks for posting. <<
You're welcome, and thanks for the feedback.
(no subject)
Date: 2014-05-26 03:42 am (UTC)Yay!
Date: 2014-05-26 04:03 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2014-05-26 12:59 pm (UTC)You write the best end-verses. That is such a beautiful and powerful idea to end the poem on and the imagery throughout was lovely. It really captured both the eb-and-flow and the calm of the sea/land. <3 And then you go on and build setting! And then character with nothing but the poem's voice. (I know that's part and parcel of poetry like this piece, but even so. You do it so well. ^_^)
Thank you!
Date: 2014-05-26 11:02 pm (UTC)I'm happy to hear that.
>> It really captured both the ebb-and-flow and the calm of the sea/land. <3 <<
That was very deliberate for this series.
>> And then you go on and build setting! And then character with nothing but the poem's voice. (I know that's part and parcel of poetry like this piece, but even so. You do it so well. ^_^) <<
Yay! I'm glad it works. In this series the setting is really important because it shapes character interaction so much.
Re: Thank you!
Date: 2014-05-27 11:12 am (UTC)I thought it might be. ^_^
Yay! I'm glad it works. In this series the setting is really important because it shapes character interaction so much.
And it helps visualisation for most readers too. I'd imagine some of the other pieces in this setting will help with that even more since they'll be focused on different things, but even then this does a pretty good job of conveying the setting and hinting at the rest.