Ariadne Speaks

I suppose it was the way you said my name.
Some note like birdsong feathering
down from a regiment
of pines, embroidering the landscape.

I was ever the cynic romantic.
My father a tyrant gardener
who used my voice

as proof of the gods. How
slyly he would say: “Isn't
she soft as a sacrifice

in her singing. If I did not
know her I would call her a note,
a migrant bird enraptured
by the passing away of beauty.” He
would have me

sing as a white goose
who announces than rather tings
like any clear bell.
I was never clear.

Except in that moment when
you percussed the silver triangle
of your tongue, and let each letter
of my name rise

weightless as a flurry of moths
rushing toward the smallest fire. Then
fell silent forever

Reviews

[Vol]

A fine simile, this! A lover's voice like a songbird's note. Sometimes the unique sounds that pass their lips and cannot be duplicated, no more lovely than anyone else's, but somehow, carry just the right poison to melt YOUR heart. My lover sounded like water splashing over rocks

[Eilis]

Hi, Vol, thanks for your thoughtful take on the poem. I went through a few years of trying to write poems to myths. This was always one of my favorites. I like your view of it.

[Joli Dy]

"percussed the silver triangle"
Be still my heart. Imagining the "you" who captivated.

[Eilis]

As poets, I think we can always fixate on someone with a sliver tongue, haha. It’s part of the draw of writing, getting lost in the internal universe. Always nice to hear from you, Joli!

[Ern M. Yoshimoto]

it is truly poetic to write about sound. whether it is a sound of music, nature, or another's voice. the way our eardrums absorb the vibrations and how our minds interpret them is a form of alchemy. and you capture this magic in this verse. it's ironic to read silently an ode to a voice but it works perfectly. i do not know the timber of this person's voice but the way it echoes in your heart, that i know. this work has reminded me to call the person whose voice i miss.

[Eilis]

Hi, Ern. I’m glad the poem made you think of calling someone you miss. I used to enjoy writing these poems that explored mythological personalities. I would pick a moment or trait and try to build on it. The emotional core was always genuine for me as is true for most of my poetry. Glad you found something in this one to enjoy. I appreciate you reading my poems.

[Maxwell Ryder]

Beautiful 😍 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Eilis]

Hi, Maxwell, thanks for the compliment.

[gram linski]

Adriane must sing, I can hear the music through the poetry, death will not be the end Eilis, for there is an echo, energy is finite we will not dissolve dissipate fade awa…, can't find the words to express how much I enjoyed this, just did.

[Eilis]

I love this comment. It’s a poem if its own. You’re good at sparking ideas in your comments. Maybe a new poem soon.

Thanks for these thoughtful words, Gram. Always glad to hear from you.

[kentuck14]

Like R.E. I am not much up on Greek Mythology . . . yet this poem is both delicate and strong at the same time. You use some beautiful language to express the feeling and thoughts of this much abused character. Thank you for sharing.
T

[Eilis]

Thanks again, Tom. This is an older one I just reworked a bit. My kids were studying the story at the time I wrote it and it sparked a poem. So often we don’t hear the woman’s voice. I wanted to try and let her speak.

I appreciate you reading.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

maybe i relate to this, not so much to the mythology which for me is a bit rusted, but the idea of how moths flurry toward the fire and extinguish themselves. And these days being a completely cynical romantic who used to be incurable...i feel my wings moving...and am trying to quell them from doing so.
excellent poetry...i go on journeys with you...and they inspire me to write.
j.

[Eilis]

Thanks so much for your kind words, Jacob. I am inspired by your work as well. You are very precise and I learn from that.

I appreciate that you appreciate my moth image at the end. I’m pretty proud of that one and I like what you see in it as it’s pretty much what I see.

Thank you again for visiting. I appreciate you.