Pine Box ~ #OpenLinkNight ~ @dVersePoets

Shadows, gray dust settling
silhouettes dancing
though the symphony is silent

Sunbeams know not of the darkness
for the veil lies heavy
crushed velvet, scent of ancestors

ghosts cry from behind the curtain.
Beckoning, luring
bloodline, entanglement

The long white box
carelessly perched upon the cement
where headstones topple

It's perfume is the scent of decay
despite the newness of its package
and the petals turn to dust

left to be blown to the cosmos
on the breath of the forgotten
T'was not the wind

that caressed your cheek.
Mythic battles of conquered hearts
broken, bruised

left to die
as lungs grow blacker
ensnared now

by dreams never to be forgotten
as they march on through eternity
and dance upon the graves.


The awesome pen wielder and dVersePoets founder Brian Miller will be the MC for tonights OpenLinkNight.  How could you miss it?  Linking up at 3 poets! See you soon.

Comments

Brian Miller said…
yo yo yo tashtoo, way to lay it down...is it odd that i like to walk in the cemeteries? maybe, i grew up with one in my back yard so...

Sunbeams know not of the darkness
for the veil lies heavy..really like these lines...and death is still death despite the freshness you know...

Mythic battles of conquered hearts
broken, bruised

left to die...they all have stories...and these lines open that up for me...
mrs mediocrity said…
I am also a fan of cemeteries, I used to spend hours and hours in one that was a block from the house I grew up in.

I think this poem describes perfectly why I like them so much.

"dreams never to be forgotten"... so much humanity and history all in one place.

I really love this piece!
I actually really like graveyards- not in a morbid sense, but becasue they are so peaceful, but strangely, so full of life...all of those lives lived (if that makes sense) - some really awesome lines in this that just created some great images in my mind- 'silhouettes dancing though the symphony is silent'- so true. And 'marching through eternity' as all the souls do. What is great about this poem is its contrasts- life and death, new and old, white and black- id never thought about this element before...but how true...awesome write Tash
Claudia said…
this is very cool...esp. loved...left to be blown to the cosmos
on the breath of the forgotten
T'was not the wind

that caressed your cheek... and actually i love going to cemeteries...still a bit sad that i wasn't able to make it to woodlawn cemetery when i was in nyc...so much history and sounds weird - but also hope in these places...
Mary said…
Not easy to write an effective poem about a graveyard. You managed to do so. I can see those ghosts beckoning.
Timoteo said…
Dealing with grave subjects and demonstrating your versatility. Very nice indeed.
jackie dick said…
Almost seems oxymoronic to say that you've brought a fresh look at death, legacy, and cemetaries. But you do here, Tash. We all walk on history...it shouts at us, and in some ways gives me comfort. In some ways, of course, it doesn't. Thank you for sharing, this original!
Unknown said…
I'm a bit morbid, so this poem is magic to me... an expression of the beauty in death...
Eerily beautiful, Tash. Well worded and flowing in a sordidly velvety fashion. I like it!
http://charleslmashburn.wordpress.com/2012/05/22/the-thunder-rolls/
Anonymous said…
This one speaks to me Tash. I have never found any comfort in visiting the graves of lost loved ones. Lots of people do, and that's truly lovely for them, but for me I just look down and think 'but that's not you, it's just a box and some bones. Not your laugh or smile, energy or soul'
I hope I am not being too grim, but I just wanted to share what this piece evoked for me. It's a great write, gritty and real.... Just like death and loss.
Victoria said…
Like Brian, I have a thing for cemeteries and we have such unique ones here in the (wild) west. Your poems tells a story, sets a mood...makes me want to prowl.
Janine Bollée said…
What you write always looks so competent, as if you've been a poet all your life.
Anonymous said…
I see you've been decomposing some poetry. ;-) Good write!
I love reading headstones--this piece has a heroic quality to it for me--Loved it
Alex Dissing said…
I've always liked cemeteries - peaceful, beautiful, yet also mysterious. You captured all of that in this. "T'was not the wind / that caressed your cheek." Nice!
Uneven Stephen said…
Fantastic imagery here, Tash! I really like this part:

"left to be blown to the cosmos
on the breath of the forgotten
T'was not the wind"

I've always liked the phrase "pine box" - it's almost like trying to hide the smell of death. :)
Aaron Kent said…
Really excellent poem, the imagery in particular was great. To write of headstones...brilliant.
Truedessa said…
Hello,

I really enjoyed this one as spirits always reside in this place and they all have their own unique story.
chris said…
"silhouettes dancing
though the symphony is silent"
Great write, Natasha. Like some of the others here, I like walking in cemeteries; so much history beneath one's feet.
Mystic_Mom said…
Love it! I love the history and long to know the stories when I am in a cemetery. There is a real atmosphere there that your poem captures so well. Nicely done.
Natasha, the beginning was so ethereal, and, just as death takes us down slowly, the poem got darker until the tar itself was revealed. Experience of watching my mom suffocate from cigs only added to the power. Masterful writing, riveting. Amy
http://sharplittlepencil.com/2012/05/21/always-and-forever-ironweed-dammit/
Anonymous said…
"Pine Box", a swirl of words, floating about, around about lives lived, died but never gone...
"It's perfume is the scent of decay
despite the newness of its package"


So cool, a great write Natasha.
hedgewitch said…
I like this style for you Natasha--you write hard code meter and rhyme really well, and no one can sound the battle trumpet more skillfully, but it's nice to see you do pure free verse that has such delicacy of feel and otherwordly mood to the narrative. Liked it much
Pat Hatt said…
Through the graves yard you go
As your mind runs to and fro
Maybe a ghoul or two on the go
And the tales that pile up and show
Are right here in your verse
As the words fill your purse
Anonymous said…
You took these picture,that were great to look at. Cool of you to add more life to them by giving them words and meanings
Semaphore said…
There is, all throughout this poem, the patina of sadness - for battles lost, for promises broken, for lives unlived. The phantoms that haunt these places are of such memories, with stories more poignant than classical ghosts.
Anonymous said…
A wonderful sense of from dust to dust here, Tash. K.
Anonymous said…
Great writing - cemeteries are so full of possibilities
Unknown said…
Amazing piece Tash. Love the atmosphere you created, the philosophical musings and the wicked cool vibe. A statement piece to your talent. Thanks. Loved it.
I had to read this poem aloud, because it's incredible! Great piece of art, Tash! ♥ :)
Lady Nyo said…
Lovely, touching, lyrical poem, Natasha.

I love cemetaries, too....there is such peace above the ground there..and of course, below.

A lovely, evocative poem. Haunting in the best way.

Lady Nyo
James Rainsford said…
Sombre and intense with compelling imagery. It possess great resonance and engages with our mortality in a beautiful way. You just keep getting better. ;-)
Maude Lynn said…
Gorgeous piece, Natasha!
Anonymous said…
I so enjoyed this poem,and like others I find cemeteries filled with the beauty of past lives.What were they like, and how did they live?This could fill a book for sure, all these reveries.Great work.
Unknown said…
So sad to think of all the dead dreams that get left behind - a stark reminder not to let life choke them out. My favorite image is the 'silent symphony'. Love that!
Anna Montgomery said…
Ooo, do I ever have some cemetery recommendations for you :). Gorgeous places where the trees claim the space, with the elaborate headstones from previous centuries. Great work!
You go girl! A fanastic poem. That first stanza--incredible. The depth and style Natasha is marvelous. I am one of your big fans.
Beth Winter said…
Wow... "Twas not the wind that caressed your cheek" What a tone and vivid imagery. Excellent work. Dark without pretensions. Love it!

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