Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Shadowing


 Steps
                                           side
             are
                                                   your
                 easiest
                                                              by
                       climbed
                                                                     her
                                      with

14 comments:

Sameera Ansari said...

So much conveyed in just a few words!Awesome :)

Vesper said...

Wow, Sarah, excellent! I was indeed on a staircase reading your poem... And the play of light and shadows in the photo is exquisite...

Aine said...

The split in "her" is perfect-- I even navigated the landing with my eyes!

I hope she receives (and accepts) the appreciation she deserves.
:)

Charles Gramlich said...

I like it. A haiku in unusual form.

Must have taken quite a while to format.

Anonymous said...

That was really clever, and I am only beginning to plumb the depths of everything you are conveying. I especially like how the climbing is really a descent until the "her," when the order reverses and climbs.

I can see pain and need there. I can see the highest of hopes and happiness. But then, stairs are both also. They take us down. They lift us up.

Pete said...

Very imaginative and artistic post.

Sarah Hina said...

Sameera, thank you. It's fun to compress a lot of meaning into the smallest frame possible.

Vesper, thanks about the photo! I liked how it almost appears as if you could climb the shadow, too.

Aine, that would be great, but I do think it's more important, in this case, that she is the giver...that consistent, unbending source of support. Thanks for letting me know it worked for you! :)

Charles, it sure as heck did. But I think the overall effect was worth the small frustration. Thanks!

Jason, I did want to make the her the pivot into the poem's climbing arc. I do think isolation and loneliness can bring us down (which is sometimes the "easier" route, too), while empathy and shared strength can lift us up.

Thanks, as always, for your keen eye and insight. :)

Pete, thank you! I like it when a poem's form and meaning intersect. This was one of those happy occasions.

Steve H said...

nice juxtoposition of words and theme!

Chris Eldin said...

This is so pretty and so clever!!! :-)

Sarah Hina said...

Hotwire, thanks! I liked that marriage, too.

Chris, I like to have fun with the visual aspects of writing from time to time. Thank you!

Lena said...

you know the way you made it visual gives it more meaning than just those few words written in a usual way.
Thats really excellent!

Hoodie said...

very cool. this woke me out of my morning funk.

Sarah Hina said...

Lena, isn't it amazing that a little twist can deepen the meaning of words and bend our perspectives? That's precisely why I love multi-media posts, too. :) Thanks!

Hoodie, I'm glad to hear it. That kind of impact means a lot to me.

I hope your funk has completely faded by now! :)

Cяystal said...

Omg.

How sweet is that!