The Daughter of Misery and Rain

 

 

She was the daughter of misery and rain.

He was the son of abandonment and rust.

Together, they gave birth to heartache and pain.

Now, they lay quietly sleeping with the dust.

 

I rose from the ashes like a question mark

at the close of a sentence of endless woe

and dared to glimmer in the gathering dark

as a beacon of light for the ones below.

 

I am a flower rooted deep in the soil

arching my back against a defiant sky

and strive to survive within this mortal coil

with water-spun clouds in the back of my eye.

 

Luna washes me clean with shimmering light.

The song in her voice carries hints of the seas;

and her hollow of sky bejewels the night

by glittering over her temple of trees.

 

I am cornered by time on the dagger’s edge,

clutching the silence on a slippery slope,

slicing open my soul and bearing this pledge:

"May the ensanguined past pierce my eyes with hope!"

 

I am the daughter of misery and rain.

I am the child of abandonment and rust;

and I have tasted both the heartache and pain

when all that remains are the shadows and dust.

Author's Note

Reviews

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

She was the daughter of misery and rain. -- great first line, and from such an opener...the rest was all topping.

Beautiful imagery, and beyond language, this one had real heart and depth. I think that we are all children "of abandonment and rust" in our own ways. While we don't all taste the same things, we have still eaten from the same plates, if you know what I mean. Lovely...little else to be said.

[Chris]

This one left my coffee cold and forgotten... nothing else need be said.

[Mark]

...gasping for breath...
Too well do I know that sensation of chest-constricting futility upon the experience of a loss too great to process all at one stroke. Whether this is truly a first-person accounting, or "I" is merely your protagonist, you/she express the process of recovery, the gradual process of healing and setback so eloquently. her self-allegorizing to the flower, having been buried, bursting forth, and to the Moon's progression from blackness to full again is a masterful application of that most useful tool. Then, in the final stanza, when you close by converting the "he's" and "she's" of the first stanza to "I's", the success of your process is thus assured. Kudos for a delightful examination of grief, and the road back therefrom.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Dear Mark,

Thank you for your heartfelt and insightful review of my poem. As I'm sure you know, it is intensely personal; and for me, is a lifelong process of discernment and overcoming. I really do appreciate your compassionate and empathetic words. :-) I'm so glad that you're back.

[Angi]

Linda, this piece flows into a chanty rhythm that I have tried to do, but can never get quite right. The description of the parents had me sitting up. I was hoping, hoping that she would be able to overcome her circumstances. Her strength lit up this poem. Very well done. Angi~

[Alexis]

Brilliant, this is wonderful! The rhyming give it a whole new concept! Please, don't hesitate to send me reading requests. (:

[Pax Analog]

"I am cornered by time on the dagger's edge,/clutching the silence on a slippery slope," -- the thrill of "this is your life baby!" As for "May the ensanguined past pierce my eyes with hope!" -- this is very dramatic indeed for the line, tho intriguing, does not find sure footing on that slippery slope. "The thundering silence strips ME from its scope" perhaps. It's entirely hopeless until we ARE the silence, embracing the shivering figure we presumed to be. The Daughter of Misery and Rain is a fine mist of agape release.

[I'm adding later that I realize my response disrupts the poem as is. I had to respond to the spiritual issue. And solving the spiritual issue disrupts the structure of what is not the the solution. This is what I want to say to all poets: there is ineffable grace power in your subtle stance tilted toward Consciousness Itself. Our eloquence should not be bound to the karmic normalcy of torture.}

[Abdul Aziz]

Hmm, can I disagree with some of the reviews below? This is a darker poem than many I've seen you write. Because however dark it becomes, you always sign off with hope. But here, the most optimistic line says that the poet will "survive". The tone of the poem is sombre, and the words are chosen in such a way.

But with the wavering meter, I think you have captured the soul of the poet. The echoes of laughter and happiness are not contained in the words, but in the meter, which strives to break free. The dactyls in the beginning set up a galloping rhythm in contrary to the stark content, but the poem slows down in the middle. It is symbolically beautiful for me, because I think that the meter mirrors the poet's emotions. Aside from the usual flashes of brilliance you use liberally in your poem, such as "cornered by time on the dagger's edge" and "all that remains are the shadows and the dust", to me, this poem conveys much more between the lines.

Thank you immensely for this enriching and captivating poem,
Your biggest fan

[Claire Lorraine]

INCREDIBLE writing!!!!!!!!

I do not think I have words to convey the depth and beauty of this poem.
It reminds me of the resonating, eloquent, deep poetry of centuries gone by...

I love the way you contrasted light and dark, sorrow and joy, life and death, day and night.

The stanza about rising as a question mark is a beautiful analogy for not knowing who you are and searching for answers to know oneself.

The entire poem is so heartfelt and sincere, it stirs the heart of the reader. The words used express so eloquently such a varied range of the author's depth and creativity.

Very well done! Bravo!!!! :)

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Hello, Claire Lorraine, (lovely name, by the way) and thank you so much for the lengthy, excitable, and insightful review. The poem is deeply personal to me, and I am honored that it touched you. It's a glimmer of my life through words.

[Claire Lorraine]

It is apparent in your writing that you write from deep within your heart and soul, pulling out the words from your own experiences and journey. It is a precious thing to be able to write glimpses of yourself for others heart's to be touched.
Thank you so much for being brave enough to share your beautiful poetry!

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

I don't know about bravery; but it has often been the only comfort, the only thing to keep me sane.

[icelandicblue]

The imagery reminded me of scene a from Greek Myth. Beauty can grow in the most desolate of places despite its parentage or environment. Your beautiful words have grown from starkness and pain and what they bring with them is hope. It is a stunning poem about overcoming adversity with eyes toward the heavens to be cleansed by the rain and to live.

[Gleb Zavlanov]

A beautiful poem with a touch of darkest sorrow in between its lines. Thank you for penning such a write. It's a true gem indeed.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Thank you.

[Gleb Zavlanov]

It was my pleasure