Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Shy Calla Lily--Life in Black and White


Photo by: John P. Ford

Black and White
Since age six or earlier I have aspired to write poetry. I have no idea why. I do remember wondering why no one else I knew did the same.While my mother occassionally read poems to me, they were not part of the general reading available to our family..

I remembered writing in my head before early school years. Since, I was published in the Sunday School Bulletin around the first grade, I must have shared my poetry with others at times..

What I have tended to do since being a young adult is to not share poetry I have written. I would start a Poetry Journal, misplace it and then forget about it! Often, I would discover poems years later in so obscure part of the storage areas.

Part of my process of Self-Reinvention was to begin a blog for the purpose of sharing some of my poetry. For me. on some level, this must be akin to riding down Main Street like the nortorious Lady Godiva on her white horse.

It just seems to be difficult to do! It is easier to not write poetry. I love writing in general so it is a peculiar thing to me that expression through poetry sharing is such a challenge.

My lovely blogger friend, Sarah at The Lemon Tree recently shared an email with me asking why I did not write more poetry. I am listening to her.
I am thinking about her question. Here is my poem for today....I will let tomorrow take care of itself!

Black and White

Standing barefoot
on charred ground
where yesterday
dreams flowered

Intent against
wind of pain
wind of beauty
too much
black and white

She kneels
in shades of gray
to smooth
the ashes at her feet

75 comments:

becomingkate said...

nicely done!

Something Happened Somewhere Turning said...

That is very lovely my dear sweet friend.

Jenny said...

Hi Linda,

Very beautiful and poignant! Your poem is lovely and these short sublime stanzas contain so much.

Anonymous said...

Yes, well done, indeed. And it corresponds with another blog that I read just a few minutes ago, http://calliopespen.wordpress.com/2009/06/12/red/.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful imagery - a bocquet of thoughts in a black and white setting. Nice.

The Old Silly From Free Spirit Blog

Determined*Dancer said...

That was beautiful. Very, very nicely done. Such beautiful imagery. Paints a great picture in my head! =)

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

A lovely poem which I enjoyed reading. Thanks for sharing this with us.

Yvonne

Michelle said...

Oh yes. Been her. Lovely!

xxx

Wait. What? said...

lovely poem, I get the sense of loss that is not outside the realm of this life

Lille Diane said...

Wow this is beautiful, and touched me deeply. I collect lilies. I have especially loved calla lilies my entire life, and this poem could tell my story.

Thank you for reaching out and touching me today in a heart-full art-full way.

Blessings to you, too.

Rikkij said...

Linda, Nice poem! The good thing about dreams in flower is there is always another day, another bloom. Wonderful gathering of thoughts.
Now about that Sarah- I have a copy of her book "Beyond The Lemon Tree" and though I'm not much of a writer, I'm an excellent judge of good writing. I could not put it down. I will read it over many times. I think it brilliant. A copy can be procurred at amazon.co.uk. not amazon.com. Sorry to inject a commercial but I couldn't help myself. The book is wonderful. You too! ~rick

Opaque said...

Ah! Nicely written! Short though deep stanzas! Keep writing!!!

Linda S. Socha said...

Thanks Kate!
Glad you stopped by.

Beaux
Good to see you here. Hello to Lois

Jenny
I appreciate your opinion...and I value it. Thanks for stopping

Susanmuses

Thanks for the lovely comment!. I enjoyed the link

Marvin

What a wonderful comment. Thank you much!

Rose...Thanks!

Karla
Good to see you here. I appreciate your comment Love that it paints a picture for you!

Linda

K.Lawson Gilbert said...

Oh, my Linda...what a very engagingly rendered and thought provoking poem. So many images run through my head.
- Are you looking at a black and white photo of someone in a war-torn country?
- Did the subject just lose everything in a house fire?
- volcanic ash? a painting?

Loved this poem. It's strong in its brevity. Hope to see another poem here soon!

sarah said...

Hi Linda,
Ashes, it made me think of your poem about limonade which I loved so much and actually was the one that made me ask you for more. I went back and read it again. It is a wonderful poem. And I think you're on a theme here. Black and white, yes it is difficult, so much easier to live in greys but somehow half a life too. It's really hard to step out into the world of forms. I had many a struggle with someone over this. There is no in between he told me, well... there is always a rainbow! The ashes made me think of burnt dreams and the winds that push against you when you try to move outside of yourself.

Lovely piece. I'm moved and so happy to see you posting poetry again, you really made my day.))

Sunshine days,

Sarah))

Linda S. Socha said...

Michele

Thanks for stopping by and for your comment....I understand that one

Cat
Yes.Definitely that sense of loss. Thank you for your comment!

Lillie Diane

What a wondeful comment. I have also always loved Calla lilies
Thank you!

Rikkij

Thank you for your thought provoking caring comment!I appreciate your thoughts always.

As for that Sarah.....I love the book! I think it is wonderfully written as well as beautiful. I ordered it from Sarah early on and would recommend it to ANYONE who likes poetry. The commercial is fine with me
Linda

Anonymous said...

Linda, that was really beautiful! Very moving. I wish that you would share your poetry with us more often. You have a gift!

I love the picture of the lily as well - so aptly chosen to go with the poem!

Anonymous said...

Hi,

thanks for the lines. And YES tomorrow will come sooner than today, and then it will just be then.

more to come?

Jesse

Wendy said...

You are so talented.. I miss seeing you.

Josephine said...

Linda,
I love your poem. It describes the moment today, but it takes the reader to the future with hope.
Well written!!
-Alex

Writing on Board said...

Gorgeous poem (and photo)...

Ghost Dansing said...

well i very much like this poem..... i'm sure i've showed you this before, but i like to play it whenever i have the chance.... when a poet's heart begins to flower..... a goddess.....

DB said...

Beautiful poem Linda.

Ashes, the color of life when there's daylight but the sun is blocked.

DB

Marion said...

A nice, strong, bittersweet yet beautiful poem, Linda. MORE!!!

I have a problem sharing my stuff, too. It takes courage to put your precious poems out there for all to see!! I find the more I share, the easier it gets. Hugs and keep up the good work!!!! The world needs more poetry, IMO.

Woman in a Window said...

Oh, that is totally fricken lovely. Don't hesitate. Share.

Andrea said...

See, doesn't that make you feel good? You have a lovely group of people here vibrating on the same frequency, there is no fear of being misunderstood. I want more:)

TERI REES WANG said...

I love it when you share You.

...this is the place.
Keep coming back, it works.

Andrea said...

Come pick me up at --> http://kittydesignes.blogspot.com :)

steveroni said...

Lemon Tree Girl is right. Do this more often, girl! Thanks.

I haven't seen Lemon tree lately, is she on hiatus?

Chrisy said...

You poet you!!! I love the picture you painted with this one...particularly the last line...

Anonymous said...

Oh my you HAVE got to share more of your babies. PLEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSE!
This is beautiful, you.

Unknown said...

Linda,

Your poetry is lovely done and look froward to read more of poetry. No wonder Sarah requested you to do so.

Natalie said...

Thank You, Linda. Your poetry is wonderful.xx♥

Shadow said...

gotta agree with your friend. write! more! poetry! this is great!!!

as a kid, i used to get my essays back with comments from the teachers that ran along the lines, good work, but why in poetry form. it's just something that's always just felt so right....

Karen said...

Linda, this is wonderful. So much meaning in so few words -- that's definitely POETRY!

Catherine Vibert said...

Oh lovely Linda, please please please keep this up, this poem is gorgeous, and so romantic. I'm just sitting here thinking of the feeling this poem evokes, and the number of times I've felt it.

Jess Mistress of Mischief said...

Beautiful!

laughingwolf said...

very well said, linda...

a lot of poetry is stolen from online, with the thieves posting them, word for word, as their own grr

~Sia McKye~ said...

Dreams don't do too well in the starkness of Black & White, do they?

This was nicely done, Linda. Compact but the emotion...ah, that expands it and touches the heart. :-)

Judith Ellis said...

Oh, YES, my beautiful friend, you must write more poetry. How wonderful are these words, painting a picture of the in between, the shades of gray, seemingly not infinitely black or white, death and life. YES, my dear friend, you must write more poetry. Thank you for this. It feels like home.

The Pink Cowboy said...

Keep on writing and showing your gift to the world. Yur poem speaks both softly and poignantly to me.

Harlequin said...

Linda-- so glad you shared this ... I would like to see you do this more...thanks!

Deb said...

You paint a lovely picture with your words. I can relate to so many parts of this post. I started my blog so I could/would write on a regular basis. I am a frustrated wannabe writer/photographer. I am also in the process of reinventing who I am. So glad that I have met you through blogging and I appreciate the kind words you left for me over at my place. Take care.

Anonymous said...

I like this poem. Black and white can be murderous. Those shades of grey let us sweep up those cold ashes rather than burning more.

Lyn said...

Well, isn't that good!! Not writing poetry is so over, don't you think?

Unknown said...

That is beautiful

CeCe said...

Just visited you via Her Vintage Stage. What a lovely poem. It spoke to me tonight. Thank You. I graduated from M.T.S.U. and lived in Murfreesboro for many years. Amazing how the internet can connect us all. Keep writing.

Silver said...

wow. It's true. You should write more poetry.
;)

Roan said...

You should post more poetry. Well done!

Kaye Waller said...

Like many people, I wrote a great deal of poetry when I was a teen. I still write a little, but after reading this entry and your lovely poem I realize that I don't write nearly as much as I should. I think I shall begin a poetry diary; what a good idea!

Thank you for dropping by my blog and for taking the time to leave your kind comment. Consider yourself blogrolled!

Cherie/ Butterfly Dreamer said...

You should write more poetry, this was lovely.

Diane Vogel Ferri said...

I think your poem in lovely and you should continue the effort!

Raph G. Neckmann said...

This is lovely, Linda! Do keep on writing and sharing your poetry!

steveroni said...

SO many comments...but I must add that it reminds me of Calli's blog "within shades of grey exists a place..."

And yessss, Linda, write, write, write! And be poetic about it! Please, you.
Peace,
S

Cynthia said...

"She kneels in shades of gray to
smooth the ashes at her feet."
I can't imagine why you haven't
shared more of your poetry Linda.
You've mastered the art of caring
for each word, making each word
count, carefully dotting the
page with emotion.
Hoping this is the first poem
of many more.

Chelsea + Shiloh said...

Beautiful Linda, I like the last lines... I used to write poetry as a teen but it was very black and angst ridden so I put it away.... have missed you chick :)

Rick said...

Yes, why not more poetry? You do such lovely work.

Laura said...

You're so talented Linda. Thank you so much for sharing your poetry with us. It really touched me...Have a god weekend.

Cynthia Pittmann said...

Beautiful poem...I think it's great for you to mix in your poetry with the other blog posts. Linda, you are such a talent...and your warmth is so inclusive. Thank you for your generous comment at Oasis Writing Link (OWL) blog. I know you haven't forgotten how to dream. <3

jiggins said...

nice work Linda!

Splitting Tens

Priya said...

You have done a good job.

snowroses said...

That's a lovely poem. Yes indeed you should write more. I used to write poems myself mostly roundabouts 2004 but feel reluctant to share them with the world. Though I have put a few old ones on my blog recently :)

Anonymous said...

I do hope we see more of your poetry soon Linda. This was a very nice, full of emotion; passion, warmth, very moving, and I love poems that make the reader take a look at themselves. You did very well.
BTW, where are you? 2 weeks?? Hope you are alright my friend, take care,
Julian:)

George said...

Out of the ashes comes the flower, nice write, Linda...

No matter how harsh it is the flower seems to come up in all of it's shyness.

I remember when I was young I didn't know anyone who would write either and asked why, others would tell me I was just overly sensitive. I would find the beauty that I felt surrounded me, then would cry over others pain.

Music had obsessive hold and influence on me, so I would emulate the lyrics with my own writings, forms and styles. I really didn't have much exposure to poetry then.

Let the words out it's the heart not wanting to be held back. The cure is to write.

I had a hard time in ever sharing what I'd written, therefore went unseen. The only way it was ever known was by someone else coming across it.

I had asked myself the same thing about you not having to much of your poems on, but I understood.

Amal Bose said...

beautifully written...
nice work :)

Silver said...

m' dear, i have an award waiting for you at my blog.. come pick it up, sweet!

mystic rose said...

I think its hard sharing one's creations.. You write beautifully!
And your poem Black and White is about rejuvenation, out of the ashes again something will build up, as she will.

Rick said...

Time for some more of your poetry!

CathM said...

Beautiful, Linda... hope all is well! x

Roan said...

I stopped by for another poem. Hope you are doing well.

Calli said...

I was so certain I had commented on this most beautiful poem, earlier. I guess I was remiss.

This is so lovely, Linda. This poem could be written about me, it's perfect!
Yes, please do share more...

peace & blessings~
~Calli

Khaled KEM said...

Hi Linda,

Thanks for your kind words on Blog catalog about my blog. I have been following your blog for some time now and I've been enjoying though I don't leave many comments.

Keep the good work and keep writing to inspire all of us.

poefusion said...

Your poem is great. I am reminded of someone's home standing before them one day and one standing in its ashes the next. Very strong, with truthful expression. Hope all is well. Have a great day. Thanks for your visit to my blog.

Noelle Dunn.... A Poet in Progress said...

Beautiful!

Just me. said...

what a beautiful poem Linda.