Dandelions

(Translations in the author's note)

   You gave me dandelions,

   and I

   vased them in my yellow typewriter.

   They kept company to the 

   drizzling sunshine,

   and the talkative alphabets.

   In the dense summer air, 

   I bathed my soul, 

   and dreamt of timemachine wheels,

   that revolved with blurred spokes.

          

                         They call you the lovelorn boy,

                                poisoned by Summer's sweet foolery.

                                     They call me the dandelion girl,

                                          fooled by Summer's sweet poison...

   You said love is a 

   full blown rainshower

   that conjures the wand'ring stars,

   and makes them stand.

   You said it was in the

   Summer's hot breath

   that melts away the standing frosts

   of long Winter...

   You spoke of lies and truths,

   of untruths and half-truths.

   And I was certain,

   I was most certain of rebirths

   and future encounters.

          Like the final act of magic,

              we were bound to unite again.

   ~Twin fortune gazers~

   We looked up 

   at the teacup of stars,

       and saw shapes forming. 

                         All the while, the Wind had danced amongst the dandelions

                                  like a belladonna, enthralled.

   I always could make out Orion,

   but you found even

   Vega, Deneb, and Altair.

        Warmed by the fire

          of the atmosphere,

            we sat up all night,

              to watch them fade.

 

                        All the while, the Rain had stirred the grass blades

                                 to its haunting symphony.

   If I could have trusted the

   truth of sleep,

   and of dreams, and stars-

   typing a printwork of destiny

   with sluggish typewriter notes,

   I could have read our cards.

   You called me  ياقمر

   ~~my moon~~

   Your voice raining, 

   like sunflakes, and snowshine, melting

   like the skin of peach kept in

   rosewater for too long, dissolving

   into sweet nothingness...

   Thrice adream,

   through fantasy lands,

   we sailed

   on our magic carpet

   across the bridge of the Milky Way.

   Our hearts dancing in the wind,

   like the yellow butterflies

      ~como las mariposas amarillas~

   that fly through moon-kissed fields...                                     

                        You gave me dandelions,

                    and I

           vased them in my heart...

   ~Pour tous les saisons à s'épanouir~

Author's Note

This is one of my favourite poems, the one I treasure the most...it has taken me nearly two years to shape it and edit it to bring out this final version

Notes:
1. Vased- I created this verb form of the noun "vase", so the meaning is literal, not figurative.

2. The 3 stars-Vega, Deneb, and Altair form the Summer Triangle. The 3 are the brightest stars in the three constellations of Aquila, Cygnus, and Lyra, respectively.
The general tale is a love story between Zhinü (織女; the weaver girl, symbolizing the star Vega) and Niulang (牛郎; the cowherd, symbolizing the star Altair). Their love was not allowed, thus they were banished to opposite sides of the Silver River (symbolizing the Milky Way Galaxy). Once a year, on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, a flock of magpies would form a bridge over the star, Deneb, to reunite the lovers for one day.

3. The translation for ياقمر is "oh moon" or "oh precious" in arabic(in the egyptian dialect).
It is written as "ya amar", pronounced as "ya kamar"

4. I made up the words "sunflakes" and "snowshine" from "sunshine" and "snowflakes"...I think they sit nicely on the tongue and give the poem a playful feel...
From "sunflakes", I get the imagery of falling gilded flakes of sunlight in my mind...and from "snowshine", I wanted to highlight the glint of the snow as it falls...

5. Como las mariposas amarillas -translates to "like the yellow butterflies"

6. Pour tous les saisons à s'épanouir- translates to "for all seasons to bloom"

I have always wanted to experiment with multiple languages in a single poem...if you have any suggestions, I would be honoured to receive them...I think this poem can go through another edit, and so all suggestions are welcome!

Reviews

[Jennie Baron]

One of the tests of a poem for me is how it sounds when read aloud. This one is so beautiful it lends itself to a public reading if you haven't done that. I love the dreamy, wistful feeling, and the diction is wonderfully expressive. Well done and a privilege to read.

[Alfred Kukitz]

The exquisite nature of your tongue exemplifies the artistic nature of your talent and skill. This write is a treasure of a lifetime, filled with the jewel of words, the symphony of ideas, the soul & mind of feminine genius. A masterpiece!

Regards,
Al

[Hawkmoon]

wowie wowie woah fantastico

[Daydreamer]

Your art means much girl!❤😍 goooo on friend!😍😍😍💞💞💞💞

[FOih;]

I would not change anything. The hope, the love this piece inspires escapes any expression I know.

[Vamsi]

No doubt that you're the moon's fairest daughter because you've seen nature through your heart. A great pleasure to read it. 👌👏👏

[Daydreamer]

Amazing review, i must say! 💙

[Karmee]

just wonderful, I love the set up of this write, the descriptiveness of it as well. Awesome writing

[Damien Ridge]

That was a pleasure to read. This was very skillfully crafted and is nothing short of a work of art! I have a few favorite lines and I won't pollute the comments with them but I'm looking forward to reading more of your work. "All the while, the wind dances amongst the dandelions like a belladonna, enthralled..." Ok, I had to take one line out of it ha. Beautiful work!

[Carol Cashes]

" ~Twin fortune gazers~
We looked up
at the teacup of stars,
and saw shapes forming........ "

This is word-slaying at its finest. Well done.

[Moonie]

I get the image of Trelawny looking into harry potter's tea cup and predicting his death when I read them though... >_<
Thank you for your awesome review! :))

[Cyril]

Dandelions growing on headlands, showing their unloved hearts to everyone

Recalling Spraying the Potatoes - Kavanagh

[Moonie]

Wow those lines sound breathtaking...thank you so much for them! :)