Thursday, July 17, 2008

The Leaving













Damned shroud, ‘Out!
Out! Out!’ I say.
And take with you your misty splay.

Out, out damp mist and evil shroud
Cast from heaven’s celestial cloud.
Get off my field and garden arbor
Go to swamp or to the harbor.

Take your white bone-chilling mass
Get it off my garden grass
There are no granite headstones here
No companions of your certain peers
No witches, ghouls or chilly bones
No silent mold or mossy stones.

Go weave your mist in ornate gates,
Thread your ribbons through steel grates,
Roll up your batting; be gone from here
Fold your pack of troubling fear.
Take your leave – full and complete,
Take with you, your winding sheet.
Go to quiet fields of stone,
Just leave my yard and field alone.

’Cause here, my life is pleasant play
Sufficiency in each new day
And so you MUST be on your way.
A friend is coming for the day.

He shoots a sharp gold keen-edged spike
You’ll quick be gone; without a fight!
Oh, happy charm and quiet grace
Sun, has nicely cleaned the place.

8 comments:

Pauline said...

your imagination together with nature, make for fine reading.

Unknown said...

Lovely, Roberta. You are a wordsmith. In love with words. And you imbue a simple thing in nature with such beauty.

Roberta S said...

thank you for that comment, pauline. Glad you enjoyed my wee rant.

Roberta S said...

hi kay. Your writing makes me long to live nearby. Two wordsmiths (you are one, and I MIGHT be one if you say so) could cook up some incredible stuff. No wordsmiths in my area and I do get lonely for them at times.

I sometimes think collaboration in writing might be more fun than a game of Scrabble.

Anonymous said...

A fine example of the traditional form in excellent shape, Roberta.

Roberta S said...

Thanks, dick. As a master poet, you are very kind. Doesn't even come close to the mastery of word and images that I see at your place. I am hypnotized and haunted by the exactness and imagery of a sky being like 'an upside-down ocean that one could drown in.'

Unknown said...

Where are you going, where have you been? Miss your postings. Hope all is well.

Roberta S said...

Thanks for your kind concern, kate. Truth is, I'm just very, very busy. But although I may not be writing for a while, all is well, and eventually I will be back. Hope you're enjoying your summer.