NOTE: There’s a dreary muse out in Hub’s cabin that leads me to write things I don’t understand and this is one of them. How the title came to me I have not the slightest notion.
This is not a plant I have encountered or know anything about. But in checking references (after the poem was written), I was truly amazed to find that:
‘Hedge’ is a protective act and ‘hyssop’ branches are used in the Bible for purification rites)
HEDGE HYSSOP
‘Neath
Prayer shawl
And wing-pits
Scorches
Of piety;
Raw cuts
Of refinement.
Cedar shay
Cocoon
Motif astern
Leaving?
Arriving?
With
Folded spirit
Broken wings
Unraveled soul.
Ivory roses
Picot-edged lace
Amidst
Quiet chant
Temple dust
Hyssop wave.
Slow steps
Organ hum
And Hushed “Hosannahs”!
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2 comments:
I'd say that muse is not so much dreary as introspective. Hushed hosannahs suggest quiet joy...
Hi Pauline. Yes I knew that hosannahs are joyful, and that is the irony that makes the poem seem rather morbid.
Still I much appreciate your comment and the observations you made. It makes me think your interpretation (as a poet) is probably a whole lot clearer than my own (as a writer more often of prose).
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