Outside stonewalls built by diversion of time

From the mud came green, obstacles of life
and its suffering,
a fresh series of footprints not tethered to darkness
and those honeyed words
leaving the world behind in its wake;
tell me, what the riverbed said to make you forget?

Honest truths are generosity of graphite clouds,
or so it’s believed,
clear crystal blue that reflects when we pause to
sigh—I’d exchange my dreams
a thousand times

for the slightest chance that restless soul is awakened
with a hint of wanderlust
in search of deeper meaning on a cold morning;
you see,
sometimes we are meant to walk past the
riotous blooms and
sing the song of bristles instead—
a realization
that occurs when we spend time knowing ourselves.

Bind my wrists with silence golden,
it’s like the odor of French perfume woody and floral,
here autumn resides
slowly stirring awake,
liquid thick query bubbling in throat, “is it better
to postpone or presage?”
But I’d rather the hours lead the way,
white mountains,
the once skeptical heart now savoring its surroundings—
as if it came from inside the body,
its many chambers,
as if it required a language to speak to it.

 

 

 

Photo credits: “Riverbed at Ennerdale,” Fay Collins Art.

Sarah hosts at dVerse where we revisit a prompt on Fay Collins and
pay
a tribute to her. Come join us! 💝

Posted for Poetics: “Fay Collins revisited” @dVerse Poets Pub

44 thoughts on “Outside stonewalls built by diversion of time

  1. Bjorn Rudberg says:

    Love the beginning of the poem… how everything grows from the mud… as life, we just have to nourish it and beauty will grow.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Bjorn 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️

  2. Sarah Connor says:

    sometimes we are meant to walk past the
    riotous blooms and
    sing the song of bristles instead—

    I love this, Sanaa. There’s a great sense of movement here, We travel through the painting with your words. Beautiful.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Sarah 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️

      (and thank you for the glorious prompt) 🌹

  3. Ingrid says:

    So much to love here, Sanaa!

    ‘clear crystal blue that reflects when we pause to
    sigh’

    I love how the enjambment works to slow the pace of the poem down here, and the conclusion is breathtaking ❤️

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Ingrid 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️

  4. THIS is so quotable, “sometimes we are meant to walk past the riotous blooms and
    sing the song of bristles instead” ♥♥♥ You are a mystic who infuses wisdom in each verse!

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, my dearest Tricia 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️

  5. Dora says:

    Beautifully expressive, Sanaa, and I loved this line: “But I’d rather the hours lead the way,” which seems to me to capture the essence of the painting and the poem, an affirmation of life in all its contrasts.
    Pax,
    Dora

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Dora 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️

  6. Ain says:

    It is on the 3rd line that one realises one is reading a masterpiece. “a fresh series of footprints not tethered to darkness” … but just as I was recovering from the impact of your words along came the others, a few quoted above…what a pleasure it is to read such poetry….what a pleasure…..and when I say recovered, I meant recovered from being deliciously hit by the power of what is being said/how it is being said. Is SO interesting how your poem goes so well with Faye’s painting, almost like they belong together.

    1. Sanaa says:

      My goodness.. that is such high praise! Thank you so much, Ain 😀 so glad you enjoyed it! 💄❤️

  7. A very rich and detailed response to this gorgeous painting. You change course several times in the piece, and it left me a bit off balance. I like “a fresh series of footprints not tethered to darkness”, and “bind my wrists with silence golden”. For me, though, an almost dry riverbed is height of summer, still many warm days before the appearance of Fall.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Glenn 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️

  8. rob kistner says:

    This is simply splendid, spellbinding — a romance of the heart and of the mind. Such rich vision you paint here Sanaa, invigorating, liberating… 🙂

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Rob 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️

  9. K.Hartless says:

    Definitely, this one to return to and savor. I am bookmarking it. So many beautiful images, but the languages at the end that are inside the heart, my favorite.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Awww gosh! Thank you so much, K. Hartless 😀 so glad you enjoyed it! 💄❤️

  10. rog leach says:

    “a fresh series of footprints not teathered to darkness” pulled me fully into this wonderfully written poem.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Roger 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️

  11. Paul says:

    Love the journey this takes us on and that line ‘tell me. what the river bed said to make you forget’ is a powerfully provocative question.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Paul 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️

  12. calmkate says:

    this reads like a delightful meditation in and about Fay’s art, lovely!

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Kate 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️

  13. Ron Rowland says:

    So many beautiful lines, ideas, and observations here: “riotous blooms” “from the mud” “bubbling in throat” and “graphite clouds”

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Ron 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️

  14. Wow. Great poem. This line is incredible: “Honest truths are generosity of graphite clouds” – graphite is the perfect word for those clouds!

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Philip 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️

  15. Jane Dougherty says:

    ‘Bind my wrists with silence golden’
    Lovely line.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Jane 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️

  16. Veera says:

    This was a great poem. Fantastic use of imagery 🙂

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Veera 😀 so good to see you 💄❤️

  17. kittysverses says:

    “Honest truths are generosity of graphite clouds,
    or so it’s believed,
    clear crystal blue that reflects when we pause to
    sigh—I’d exchange my dreams
    a thousand times”,
    These lines spoke to me. Needless to say you are a splendid poet. 🙂

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Kitty 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️

  18. Kerfe says:

    Following the landscape–a good teacher.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Definitely 🙂 thanks for stopping by, Kerfe 💄❤️

  19. “sometimes we are meant to walk past the
    riotous blooms and
    sing the song of bristles instead—”
    I relate to this… straight to my heart!

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Dana 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️

  20. grapeling says:

    I particularly admire the close of the 2nd stanza ~

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, M 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️

  21. you eloquence never fail to amaze me, Sanaa. your chose of words is always elegant and vivid. the song of bristles! ah!

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Rosemarie 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️

  22. So beautiful, Sanaa! 💕
    So many lovely lines. This is the first one that stood out for me: “tell me, what the riverbed said to make you forget?”

  23. Paul Cannon says:

    I love the question “is is better to postpone or presage” that liminal feeling, a threshold to savour in the moment.

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