In the watery black surface of my being
there lie fragments of the moon I have swallowed,
gaunt and pale as death
the only witness being the silhouetted shape of the rising moors
their gasps conveying a thousand stories.
There appears to be no need of anemones
their short stalks of blueish green leaves branching freely
as October’s adorned with a strange yearning,
I have seen lovers loosen the space in-between with bare hands,
and words trapped along the corner of warm lips
I have spent many sleepless nights famished
to the point of starvation
for their bodies certain surrender in the ripples of lake.
Gray-eyed, the owl was her bird and olive tree her quietude
Athena unmatched in valor bested Poseidon,
I should know for I was awake in the bewitching hour–
the ruins of the castle touched by ghosts
but none ever haunted my thoughts as beautifully as her,
I have but very little remaining in myself
as Autumn brings about wild decay and the fading of days.
For the night is endless and the day forbidden,
rain in rivulets
blurring windows and a crying sky,
I wish to possess all things beautiful
crack my ribs to take in the aroma of twilight and conversation
that runs deep beneath the ground,
‘murder me,’ whispers the withering of decades
and later has acrimonious regrets and pins a purple heart on me–
the truth is I enjoy it
touching the light in a conscious moment
or do I?
Photo credits: Commissioned piece (untitled) @ mc__monster
Posted for “Kerry’s Challenge” @ Real Toads
and Posted on Open Link Night @ dVerse Pub
“fragments of the moon I have swallowed,
gaunt and pale as death”
“their gasps conveying a thousand stories”
“Gray-eyed, the owl was her bird and olive tree her quietude”
“I have but very little remaining in myself
as Autumn brings about wild decay”
“I wish to possess all things beautiful”
“crack my ribs to take in the aroma of twilight and conversation”
“‘murder me,’ whispers the withering of decades”
So gorgeous, Sanaa.
Thank you so much, Shawna 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
This line knocks me over:
“crack my ribs to take in the aroma of twilight and conversation”
big power in those words
Thank you so much, Jade 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
What an end!! You nailed it with the closing lines❤️
Thank you so much, Mistella 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
The last line is my favorite. The confessions ripple and cracks through.
Thank you so much, Grace 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
The last stanza is my favorite, especially the first line. So evocative.
Thank you so much, Kerfe 😀 so good to see you ❤️
You really give the picture such an in-depth story
Thank you so much, Jae 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
How beautifully you wrote this Sanaa. You certainly give the reader a gift of most wonderful sight as it is so easy to imagine every word.
Thank you so much, Robin 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you ❤️
I loved every line, Sanaa. Makes it sooo hard to pick a favorite. I’ll bow to my personal likes, objectiveness not. So the “rain” wins out.
I do like the occasional interal rhyme.
..
Thank you so much, Jim 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
I have but very little remaining in myself
as Autumn brings about wild decay and the fading of days.
This is really one of the most beautiful poems I have read in a long time. Your emotive interpretation of the art is sublime.
Awwww gosh! ❤️ Thank you so much, Kerry 😍 so glad you enjoyed it! ❤️
(and thank you for the lovely prompt) 🌹
Such heady gothic imagery! It’s perfect for this time of year.
Thank you so much, Rommy 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
An extremely emotive poem. Dark in tone but appropriate for the coming autumn
Thank you so much, Toni 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you ❤️
Love the way you ended this! An awesome write.
Thank you so much, Helen 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
“…fragments of the moon I have swallowed….” Wow! The crying sky and the wish to possess all things beautiful….all really lovely.
Thank you so much, Sherry 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
The title of your poem is wonderful, Sanaa, and I love that it’s written from the perspective of a lake which has swallowed the moon. I especially love the lines:
‘For the night is endless and the day forbidden,
rain in rivulets
blurring windows and a crying sky’.
Thank you so much, Kim 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
so much in this Sanaa, but I particularly liked this:
“crack my ribs to take in the aroma of twilight and conversation
that runs deep beneath the ground,
‘murder me,’ whispers the withering of decades”
Thank you so much, Jim 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
I love the personification of the lake and the way it mirrors back the stories of life
Thank you so much, Colleen 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
The idea of swallowing the moon is quite wonderful. Thanks.
Thank you so much, Manicddaily 😀 so good to see you ❤️
Another piece of art- this art. I love the imagery of a crying sky. Beautiful ❤️
Thank you so much, Vivian 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
As a body of water and the way it’s presented I really start to think about the river Styx and the ambiguity of waiting to bed shipped to the opposite shore… ending it with a question to me is the balance of hope many of us fear for whatever might happen after crossing.
Thank you so much, Bjorn 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you ❤️
I love the way this ends with the question “or do I?” The truth has suddenly become uncertain.
Thank you so much, Lori 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
This is an ambitious and captivating write Sanaa. Such depth of inspiration taken from McMonsters image — excellent imagery!
Thank you so much, Rob 🙂 so glad you liked it ❤️
Very eeeeeerie
Thank you so much, Sabio 😀 so good to see you ❤️