On Thorns I Lay

Awake this morning at ten to five
with my hair unbraided, flowing soft,
when the world as yet was unalive
and a frosted chill traversed the loft,
I cuddled up in the lamplight glow
with my knees nestled beneath my chin
and embraced such thoughts as none would know
unless they were born beneath my skin.

The silence bled into deepest dark
into a quiet soliloquy
into thoughts of you, a question mark,
and a self-effacing colloquy.
The years are passerine with feathers,
perching quietly within the soul,
and spread their wings to test the tethers
seeking to fly as a banderole.

The first faint fingers of morning light
unlatched a bounty of golden thread
and painted the walls both soft and bright
and warmed the heart of an empty bed.
With sleepy eyes and a dream distilled,
I dispersed roses into the day
whose petals rained red as dreams fulfilled
while on a divan of thorns I lay.

Author's Note

Reviews

[drew garner]

I thought it was beautiful. love the language specially the rhythm of this piece.

[barleygirl]

I love your artwork, a pose I've often been lured into, as I hike wilderness & find some flat spot that beckons. I love your rhyme & rhythm -- the total ecstasy of writing that is not ruled by rhyme & rhythm, but simply frosted with this extra delight. The sentiments I love the most come at the end of V1 -- where it feels like the poet doesn't even care to disclose how this feels . . . you would've just had to have been in his/her skin to know it. I love how this feels like thumbing your nose at poets who try to paint everything, even the unknowable (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Thank you, Margie. This one is a more light-hearted beauty of a poem, reflected in the song that I chose t go with it. I'm glad you can relate.

[Dave Brown]

another really pleasing write easy and enjoyable to read
I think tho' that my hay might be easier to lay on than those thorns
Where do you get all these beautiful images.
I am a painter and I am always looking for paintable fodder

[Robert Trakofler]

i read this before sleeping last night and it stewed in my mind... the imagery of it is just delicious and striking. the exuberance in the contrasts of the last line makes for such a stark and raw lovely and true feeling in my mind and a grateful result in the pains of and for your gracing bestows. leaves the reader a sense of exquisite in the flows throw

[R.J Calzonetti (Siniste..]

Beautiful poem. Thank you so much for sharing it.

[Chris Shaw]

'while on a divan of thorns I lay'

A contrast here between the soft imagery and that final line. There is pain here amid the beautiful poetic expression and this reader felt it. Lovely work. Always a pleasure to read you Linda Marie.

Chris

[zephyr]

So interesting. I liked the way you wrote it.

[JTD]

These are moments often unconveyed in poetry. You did a great job of portraying the moment of aloneness, the silence, the eddy of thoughts, the loss and sorrow, and the ache that remains. Your picture and music compliment your words so well.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Thank you.

[Eilis]

I love the thorny delicacy of your words. The softness of your imagery at parts belies the underlying pain of the sentiment. Poetry can be a wonderful way to offer that duality. There is a sort of beauty in the darker moments where we choose to embrace our pain and allow it to wash over us. The exercise can offer both healing and hurt, depending.

I enjoyed the softness of the scene that offered a counterpoint to the missing that permeates the mood of the poem. Your last line does offer the final understanding. That that among all that potential for beauty there is a pain and emptiness that pricks. Excellent work, as ever. Your skill with form is admirable.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Thank you.

[R.E. Ray]

Linda Marie, as I often find in your poetry, a measured lady sees the joy and pain of desired and past loves. As your words convey, we can't truly enjoy love without risking the pain. We love the rose for its petals and aroma, and we accept the thorns.

The photo expresses not only beauty but courage and adventure, a willingness to endure discomfort for a wonderful experience. It must be special view from that suspended tree. Maybe a cypress?

Another pleasure to read and study!

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Thank you.