Motherless ~ OpenLinkNight ~ dVersePoets
It has been a super busy week once again in the real world adventure I refer to as life. I have to give a HUGE shout-out to Mark Kerstetter for providing such an amazing prompt for Poetics last week. I may not have made it to post, but I can certainly say in my efforts, I have produced a number of attempts. One of which I am presenting here for my OpenLinkNight Post. So, as one of the best poets I've yet to encounter steps up to man the bar (yes, Brian Miller...I'm pointing my finger at you) I ask you to forgive me my absence, accept this drink on me, and prepare to settle in for another fantastic evening with the dVersePoet family.
Motherless
Motherless
She stands upon the shore, toes buried in the cool sand
Even the cry of the gulls cannot penetrate her walls,
Nor does the sea foam of the incoming tide warrant her
attention.
The sun is setting, a ball of molten fire in the sky
Melting into the ruddiness of the burnt umber water
That is the Bay of Fundy.
There are ships upon the horizon now
Returning home from their pirating adventures
Traps set, quotas met, yet she pays no mind.
She has stood like this for many life times
Held in place, enchanted, by the lure of the sea
The taker, the maker, the gut of humanity
But it has been in this life time, she has watched her
bleed out
As her children wash up upon the shore
Slick, greasy, awash in rainbow black,
Poisoned at the hands of her stewards
Whose minds she has witnessed slowly invaded
Corrupted by nothing less than the desire for more.
The salt of the sea must not be mistaken
For the salt that now stings her parted lips.
Swallowing tear drops, born of the mutilation of all that
was once pure.
Her heart is now the heaviest it has ever been, her blood
The blood of generations, faltering in its power
As it tries to fuel a heart that has lost hope.
A sand crab skitters before her, knowing better than to
approach
There is a wildness in her eyes, a fire that smoulders
Despite the air of defeat that surrounds her.
That her children were born of free will
That she will guide only when asked.
Who knew the world would fall under the pressure of
freedom.
The time for influence and guidance is now long past.
The children, who, in her efforts to let them live
Have somehow forgotten her…her love, her nurturing, her
wrath
They have grown wild in their lack of supervision
The few have chosen the fate of many
And now the cleansing will come.
Between slim and delicate fingers
A simple clam shell, long abandoned
Catches the glow of the sun’s last rays
And with a sigh that stops the waves
She tosses it gently to the water’s edge
And for the first time
Mother turns from tide
Knowing the time has come
To let the fate of her children, run its course.
Comments
That can be quite the display
Sometimes nothing one can do
But let them learn what is true
Have to walk on their own two feet
And each to their own beat
As always such a treat
Even if you've yet to encounter poor Brian for a meet and greet..haha
i was just checking on you the other day, so please no pressure cause i miss reading your work, and cant wait for your book...smiles.
Knowing the time has come
To let the fate of her children, run its course.
I love these lines....so hard to let them go. And yet we give them wings so they can.
Very powerful. Using the sea gives this an iconic or epic tone. The detail at the end, giving the clam back to mother ocean, was for me very ingenious. Very fine writing.
All of it especially the ending which is beautifully done.
It does feel as if Mother has turned away. What more can She do if we, Her children, don't smarten up. At the same time I have hope, hope because many have begun to remember Her after having turned away from Her so long ago. I guess it's in our hands now. Thank you for sharing this one.
~alaurilee
Sad, because what you say is true. A beautiful write.
hey this is deep under the skin stuff and your treat it well and deliver something worth reading.
big up ^^^^ poets!
Knowing the huge tides on that bay in ordinary times, I envision the even more monstrous ones to come with global warming sea rise. The dark tide of our own choosing is coming in.
Thanks for this one!
Kellie
I read this as what we as humanity are doing to the earth, but I can see the parent/child aspect, too. Either way, it's beautiful with strong language and evocative images. Even better that several of us can come away with something different. On a side note, thanks for always being supportive :)
the message is stringent...it's too late to turn back now.
nice story-poem with a moral message and a final resolution which doesn't bode well for her disobedient children.
clean tercet structure, great imagistic phrases of depiction.
work well written, well done.
Hope you're well, James.
some great lines in this. a lovely metaphor for a serious subject. the personification is simply beautiful.
wonderfully told, Natasha!
♥ dani
"Even the cry of the gulls cannot penetrate her walls"
And this one:
"Mother turns from tide"
http://iamthat-shawna.blogspot.com/search/label/poetry
I do love everything ocean and tide. And love Mother earth.
I believe all is healing, tho. And all is well in these molecules of stardust dancing.
xxo