Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Fire and Ice



The face is something rigid
as the cold masks its fissures

The neck is something hidden
as the scarf wraps its present

The heart is something bird-like
as the ribs preserve its cage

The gut is something chemical
as the ice smooths out its flames


Alas! when passion is both meek and wild!
the poet Keats once penned

In the ashes
of snow


11 comments:

Vesper said...

The conflict between idealisation and reality - this is what I see in here... and I think you've penned it brilliantly.

In the ashes
of snow
- this is so beautiful...

Sarah Hina said...

Vesper, I'm glad you recognized a duality! And thank you. :) I was thinking along the lines of the conflict between desire's intention and realization, too.

I've been trying to revise my novel, and it's not going too hot. The mind is willing, but...you know. ;) We throw up the barriers.

Anonymous said...

Brilliant done. This one definitely ranks among my favorites. The skill is sharp, and the sentiment far-reaching.

The tension in that state is deliciously unstable. A pin strikes the surface, and it explodes. Or, just as quickly, it can implode under its own gravity.

I hope the pin gets there first.

Sarah Hina said...

Jason, me too. What a satisfying pop! that would be.

Sometimes, that tension feels untenable. But then a new day dawns, and the membrane breathes again.

Thank you for finding a resonance here. :)

Ello - Ellen Oh said...

Ooooh Sarah - so much to read and catch up on! I like it that way. Everything is so wonderful and so smooth. Like velvet or satin. Just flows over me - but with elements of soft and hard and even sharp at times. That's what I love about your writing.

and what is going on with the book? Want to know more details!!!

Catherine Vibert said...

The gut is something chemical as the ice smooths out its flames. Lord how I know that feeling. It's nice to meet you Sarah, I'm looking forward to reading more of your work.

K.Lawson Gilbert said...

Duality is certainly apparent. Excellently presented. The language is fresh and innovative. Love the reference to Keats. As always, penetrating.

Aine said...

I love the image of the heart as a bird in a cage-- it sings most when captured...
:)

Sarah Hina said...

Ello, the book is coming along. I'm trying to finish my own revisions, before the editor gives me her comments. Thank you for your interest, and the wonderful comments! :)

Catvibe, thanks for coming by. Yes, that feeling must lick us all from time to time. I'm glad you can relate. And please do come back again! :)

K, I appreciate your saying that. This was a strange piece for me. Written from the aftermath of a strange tension and mood. Or maybe it was the attempt to arrive at that distance. Thank you for your thoughts, as always. :)

Aine, that's beautiful. I guess we hope that it's a happy song.

Thank you. :)

Vesper said...

The novel... it'll come. You just have to get back there in the place you were when you wrote it...
Sometimes it's difficult, but you'll do it. :-)

Sarah Hina said...

Vesper, thank you for the encouragement. :) You're absolutely right about sinking back in that mood. I have felt such a distance. But I think that's closing now.

Thank you, my friend!