The Red Umbrella

 

The air sighed heavily

Whistling a song of chaos

As it trampled upon

The withering grass.

 

The rain furiously narrated

Sonnets of despair

As it fell in great sheets

Across the field.

 

I have always loved the wind,

I have always cherished

Its lullabies.

 

And I have always loved the rain,

I have always listened

To its verses.

 

But… Did I anger them?

 

I held on to my red umbrella,

The only thing that kept me

Safe from the wrath

Of wind and water that day.

 

Suddenly, the wind gushed

Through my fingers

And the red umbrella floated

Through the black rain.

 

In the middle of the grassland,

I was left shivering and drenched

In tears of the nimbus

And tears from my own eyes.

 

I have always loved the red umbrella.

 

In its silence, its hue spoke

Of the sweetest poetry

When my heart longed for it,

And uttered out its misery

When I was the only one

Who could listen.

 

It spoke of secrets never told

To the rest of the world

For it knew that only I

Could have understood.

 

It was the only thing that kept me

Safe from the wrath

Of wind and water that day.

 

I still wait for the red umbrella

Maybe someday, the wind

Shall carry it back to me.

 

Maybe I can take hold of it again

One sweet rainy day,

One sweet windy day,

And perhaps the red umbrella

Won’t go away.

 

 

© Maxinne Marie

Reviews

[Sarah Williams]

I truly enjoyed the story told in this piece. Sometimes things that we love, things that we've always been comfortable with, turn on us and score our hearts...but hearts heal, faster than our minds allow them to really. There are many wonderful and stark images in this piece, the idea of the "red" umbrella against the black and forbidding sky is quite nice...reminds me of Coleridge and his use of the color "red" in many of his pieces.

Mechanically...I think there were places where this could have flowed better (particularly stanzas 1, 6, 8 and 9). Overall, though, I really liked reading this!

In tears of the nimbus
And tears from my own eyes.

--I like these lines...interesting imagery!

[David W Moore III]

I love the imagery. The dark almost black and white background you paint, then
pop with the red umbrella. Then you lose it and back to monochromatic. While you and the nimbus tear. Nicely done.

[Dante Balsote]

The same wind that sings of lullabies and the same rain that utters verses could actually invoke anger to the person who cherishes them most. "Did I anger them?" The entrance of the poem speaks of chaos and trampling and fury and despair but, reading the whole poem, it seems negated by a sense of gentleness. "Did I anger them?" Clearly, a gentle spirit is seen.

"I still wait for the red umbrella
Maybe someday, the wind
Shall carry it back to me.

Maybe I can take hold of it again
One sweet rainy day,
One sweet windy day,
And perhaps the red umbrella
Won’t go away."

...and even the 'maybe' and 'perhaps', when handled in gentleness, inspires an air of certainty.

[Marie]

Another nice piece of work.

[A. L. Robinson]

lovely poem :)

[Brian]

Vivid imagery throughout is interwoven with deep feelings and emotion.
Well written!

[Charley Mcewan]

I really liked this. It gave great imagery. As i was reading i could visualize it in my head. A scene so shaded but so brilliant. thank you for sharing this.

[The Random Writings Of ..]

I like the reference to the red umbrella, to me it seems like maybe you lost something that was dear and are waiting for it to come back. The rain and the wind, brings to this piece a calming effect, yet the wind and wrath you speak of bring me to sense of fear. It brings a lot to the piece. I enjoyed this piece very much. Beautiful composition..
Kates

[M. J. C. Mata]

This is a very good piece. You used an umbrella to convey the feelings you've always felt for the wind and rain. Affinity at first, dissappointment at the second, and finally hope as you continue to look forward to the next season.

This is a very good poem.

[Peter J. Hodgson]

What else can I say? I love this poem, thank you. This created a lot of imagery for me and it was told to perfection.

[Leah Simone]

The red umbrella protects your spirit and without it you are vulnerable full impact of harsh weather - I relate to this a great deal - I even have a poem called the red umbrella as well - it symbolizes my guarded heart - I took it down from the site a while back, but I do appreciate this visual - obviously, I relate to it a great deal. Beautiful work, truly lovely - Leah