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.

[MAC]

you have a true gift for crafting poetry. such beauty is found in your well groomed style. this is something special and much more, something the dead poets would read and truly love.

[Moonie]

Thank you so much, Mark! Wow...I feel overjoyed truly... :)) what a review!

[Einstein Noodle]

your poetic licence is reserved and refined i think it does just what you wanted ...the descriptive language is full of mystery, magic and wonderful personifications and metaphors ..the read was smooth and unhindered for me ..i wouldn't change a thing ... closing lines go back to the beginning and the change to "heart" give me the sense of going on a journey that affected me ...changed me ..beautiful warm emotive read ..nice job Moon!
E.

[Moonie]

Oh...thank you so much, E... your reviews always make me so happy!!! :)))

I am overjoyed that you liked this poem...!
And sometimes, I feel I take undue advantage of my poetic licence... :P

[Einstein Noodle]

;) .....................

[Relic]

I've seen your picture on the online page but always said to myself I check her out later. Then a conversation starts and I get sidetracked. I'm a bit startled to see I passed you up. This is stunningly great to read. I love the surrealistic side of poetry and this to me fits into that category.

Your imagination surpasses anything I can think up. Maybe in years to come I'll have talent like this but for now my pen is put away for a while.

I really enjoyed the work you put into this.

Great writing. :)

[Moonie]

Thank you so much!!! I feel truly honoured!! :)))
I'm honestly grinning ear-to-ear right now...

[Relic]

You're welcome Moon. :D

[The Twin Arenas]

Vased is such a nice word, and I really like how the typewriter returns again and again. It keeps this piece grounded, and shows an appreciation of the craft.
Obviously it flows beautifully. No criticisms from me, you clearly have a vision for this. Great work. Thank for sharing.

[Moonie]

Thank you for such a gracious review! I am honestly extremely glad you liked it!! :))))