February 26, 2013

birthing bells, books and candles...

photo of a carnaval parade in Nice France, courtesy of Reuters © 



faire parade de appliques effritement fleurs peintes

down in the south of France
you hear the ancient call
of calendars by the sea
quickened girls wear flowers
their hair, late February and March
favor seekers line the parade routes
searching out their eyes, petals and
filamentous parts of infinity
the tiny reaches of smiles
cause stains to harbor memory
keeping possible
a few brief irreplaceable
moments of life
in the colored scent
of someone’s ascension

these boulevards
are where smiles
from a maiden
can be laid upon anyone’s
primal thirst sating itself
a Bacchic recollection
telling them
of nature’s origins

tipple through
necks and shoulders
peer a view
le rue de promenade
makes you whole again
no matter how broken
or forgotten
your humanity
might be

and even if it is  
an ever fleeting feeling
while you walk through
the narrow back streets
a few blocks away
from the bustle
you know every
deadly accurate arrow
is ripe air
ghosting your smile
masking your laughter
drawing a map
back to where
you belong

you savor
this cover
for yourself
you stagger drunk
stammer a carnival prayer
Ash Wednesday as a provenance
to feel something
reach out from inside you
all on its own
something
you say to yourself
something
convincing you
to give away a smile, too
in order to chance more time
more living in the lap
of an angel’s wings
floating on by
remembering the Sun
does not hide
all year long

EJR ©

9 comments:

  1. There are some truly delicious images in here! "quickened girls wear flowers / their hair, late February and March," especially. You do an excellent job of conveying your setting, and the tension within the narrator. This was a very nice poem :)

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  2. Ash Wednesday as a provenance
    to feel something
    reach out from inside you
    all on its own
    something
    you say to yourself
    something
    convincing you
    to give away a smile...love that last bit...and that is does not have to wait a year as well....very nice....

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    Replies
    1. I love when I can see the light of Spring at the near end of Winter in a tunnel...Thank You...

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  3. So very gorgeous!

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  4. I like this:
    "searching out their eyes, petals and
    filamentous parts of infinity"

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  5. A really passionate piece in so many ways and so about life. Beautiful.

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