Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Eden


The earth leans
and so do we,
resurrected memory
reciting its freefall
even while bedding
a word called new
in the tracks of neurons
laid for unborn years

and the crash is soft
--it’s almost mist--
a breathless exchange
of sound for silence
color for line
beginning for end
dream and dreamer
in a land undivided
like when lips
remind skin
of that fuse
in our bellies
jolting the
pale winter moth
into a
sinking,
spreading
butterfly

and I, too,
want to invite the
bee with its smart
little sting into
a wave of
these petals
where a
galaxy of honey
may be forgotten
til June
because a
big bang
breaks sweetest
from the
nectar
of your name
on the stickiness of
my tongue

And this is Eden
in a book by Matisse,
And this is spring
as painted by you
through me



[I wrote this poem for Cat's fun audio challenge
(final results to appear on Friday!). The
Matisse painting is titled, "The Joy of Life."]

28 comments:

Bob said...

Beautiful, Sarah, a really outstanding piece... again, I love a poem I can be jealous of, lol, and this one has so many perfect lines in it... as always, thank you for sharing your writing with us all.

Charles Gramlich said...

This is really very very nice. Reminds me of Dylan Thomas's poetry and that's a high compliment.

Catherine Vibert said...

Pure magic. Everyone will LOVE to hear you reading it. That second photo is stunning, is that magnolia? Is that from this year?

Sarah Hina said...

Bob, thank you so much. :) I needed this poem. Have been feeling very flat in the writing department, so this was a good boost for me.

I really appreciate your kind words.

Charles, high praise, indeed! Wow. Thank you. :)

Cat, I took this pic last week. My "Magnolia" poem was accompanied by the buds. But they are well in bloom now!

It actually snowed a little today, though. *weeps*

Thanks so much, Cat. I'm eager to hear your interpretation of everyone's spring poems. Should be great! :)

Catherine Vibert said...

It's snowing here too! :-( Make it go away!

Sarah Hina said...

Yes, I would
If I only could
I surely would


Simon and Garfunkel say it best. ;)

Aniket Thakkar said...

"the crash is soft
--it’s almost mist--
a breathless exchange
of sound for silence'

Louvh it!

Clap-clap-clap and a bow! ;-)

Can't wait to hear it when Cat uploads it on Friday. :D

K.Lawson Gilbert said...

That is one delightful poetic reflection!

The earth leans
and so do we,
resurrected memory

Perfect beginning, just like Eden.
Can't wait to hear you read it.
I sent a poem to Cat...but, alas, did not know how to record and send it. Is there a trick? lol
I am technology challenged.

Aine said...

Nice!! I love how you've teased all of our senses as we awaken with the earth. So many little images in here that I love, I can't pick a favorite line. ;)

Looking forward to hearing the audio!

jaz said...

Sarah, this is exquisite and I CANNOT wait to hear you read it! Writer's block? Writer's block???? WHAT writer's block? :P

And I WOULD miss you guys except that I can still come here...and see this... and whether you believe me or not, it's enough.

Sarah Hina said...

Aniket, audio is a slightly terrifying experience for me, but I couldn't pass up Cat's wonderful challenge!

(aherm, and where is YOUR recording?? ;))

Thank you for the applause! :D

K, I recorded it using an audio program on my computer. Then I had to "share" the file with iTunes, and figure out how to save it as a .wav file on top of that. Whew! :P

I'm technologically challenged, but I am proud to say I didn't even have to ask my husband for help. ;)

I look forward to seeing and hearing your poem, K. I'm sure Cat will do it great justice! And thank you for your kind words here. :)

Aine, I really did want this to be a running stream of metaphor and sensations. Spring can be intensely overwhelming for the heart and mind. I'm glad the whole piece worked for you! :)

Jennifer, you made me smile. :D

It's true...I was pretty blocked. And it's actually kind of ridiculous how long it took me to write this one poem. But hopefully, the dam is breached now!!

And your being here and around others' blogs is enough for me, too. Especially if you're still soaking up those yellow, polka-dotted, relaxation rays. That's a crucial part of spring, too. :)

Anonymous said...

Number one, excellent picture. :) I like the level of softness in the background too. Nice balance.

Number two, a very romantic poem, but not burdened by romance, if that makes any sense. I remember a line from Dune. "The sleeper must awaken." This poem is an awakening. At another's hands.

Greener Bangalore said...

Wonderful poem sara and that drawing on top is wonderful too( reminds of the epicurean age:))......thx for sharing......

the walking man said...

I should have been clued in by the first two lines...I initially got caught up in the "interpretation" that I leaned over too far and fell on my nose...It is when I found myself flat on my face in the expressionist garden of words that I was able to see clean images; distinct and separate one from the other finally connected in the last lines on the canvas.

Matisse and Hina a wonderful marriage of sight, and vocabulary...soon comes the sound.

Sarah Hina said...

Jason, that's interesting. I actually meant for this to be a melding of dream and reality, past and present. Spring resuscitating and recapturing our innocence yet again.

Thank you for the comment about the photo! I liked it, too. :)

Greener Bangalore, thank you so much! And yes, that painting celebrates a true Eden, I think. The joys of life. :)

Walking Man, what a beautiful thing to say. An expressionist garden of words is all I could wish to grow in my life. Your comments are poetry to me.

Thank you for finding the beauty here.

Karen said...

Oh, Sarah! Beautiful! The description of the "resurrected memory" and it's "freefall" crash --
"and the crash is soft
-- it's almost mist --" is exquisite.

I can't wait to hear this vocalized on Cat's site.

Mona said...

originality of thought is very striking here. A very expressive piece that paints the picture of heaven through words, with more color and feeling than a brush ever could!

Sarah Hina said...

Aniket, you gave my day a boost! Thank you. :)

Karen, I'm eager to hear your poem, too! I wonder what Cat has in store for us...

And thank you for pointing out some favorite lines! It's funny...I actually had "it's almost missed" at first, but when I was reading it, I realized that it sounded like "mist." Which I liked better. :)

Sarah Hina said...

Mona, thank you so much for coming by, and for your lovely words. :) I very much appreciate your kindness, and for "seeing" my poem in such a warm way.

Sage said...

Wow! Matisse would be proud.

Jennifer said...

Sarah, I just wanted to let you know that I had to put the moat up again around my blog, and I have literally no time to deal with it right now. As always, I am still reading, and am dying to hear your poem tomorrow (if Cat is on schedule)!

In the meantime, we step out in some fabulous shoes. ;)

Karen said...

I feel a need to apologize for my poem for Cat's challenge. It's just a quick little ditty I posted on the run. Now it's going to be out there with THIS quality. *Hiding my head!!*

bluesugarpoet said...

Lovely poem (and pics!)...just one of the many reasons why i nominated you for this award!:)

Sarah Hina said...

Sage, thank you for coming by! I'm a big admirer of Matisse's, so that means a lot. :)

J, you know I love those shoes... ;)

I found your new spot, and know you're swamped. I hope The Visit goes well!!

Karen, get that head up! There, that's better. ;)

I'm still looking forward to hearing the poem. So there. :P

Bluesugarpoet, thank you so, so much!! I love awards, and I'm very touched. :) :)

joaquin carvel said...

i love how this unfolds - petal by petal - from "that fuse / in our bellies" through "a galaxy of honey" - tying the minute to the massive. the last stanza is perfect.

your poetry (sorry, been a bit of a lurker) has a delicacy of movement that i really admire - a grace - that feels like a dance when i read it.

looking forward to hearing it in cat's springapalooza.

Sarah Hina said...

Joaquin, thank you so much for delurking and for the immensely beautiful words of appreciation. I've seen you at many of my favorite blogs, and always intended to check out yours, too.

I'm glad this poem echoed a dance for you. Nothing could please me more! :)

Karen said...

Sarah - I came back for another read after hearing you on Catherine's production. This is such a sensual poem it's bursting. Wonderful work.

Sarah Hina said...

Thank you, dear Karen!! I loved hearing your poem, too. Really fine work, with your hallmark delicate touch. I loved those jonquils. :)