House plants
When evening comes and daily tasks are done,
I lean against the door and breathe a sigh.
There’s no regret about the setting sun
Outside, I gladly let the twilight die.
But for the gentle stillness of the air,
I swear that I could hear a jungle bird;
The essence of the rain forest is there
Just waiting to be summoned at a word.
My house-plants sit and pack each special place
With bitter scents of green and rising sap.
Their omnipresent leaves caress my face,
And when I sit, their vines fall on my lap.
And there I sleep in Amazon’s deep mist,
And in my dreams by jungle nymphs am kissed.
House dust
What says the tumbleweed of household past,
The rolling corner-creatures, half-aware
With static electricity, that cast
The barest, softest spider-shadow there?
What say the random threads of thinning cloth,
The slough of skin of generations gone,
The half-forgotten prey of mite and moth?
What sorry scraps to write our time upon!
But flotsam of domestic ebb and flow
Has whispers of a hundred thousand lives;
Each atom has an aeon’s afterglow,
And memory’s sharp brilliance survives!
To make dust talk – what magic we would need! –
But then what spells would make us hear, and heed?
Author notes
A pair of pre-written English sonnets, written June 2006 in response to a request.
A contest entry
- "Two sisters" - a celebration. by Vera Rich.
425 points, ended May 2, 36 entries
Honorable winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
1 - 15 of 15
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Brilliant loved it and was enthralled all the way. Love your poems.
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You might have come across both halves before, Bazza - they are pre-writes, kinda. Glad you like them.
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I love this set of sonnets, I do remember being given line one of the first one in a contest, so I have one as well that starts with that line. I am amazed at how you have managed to elevate the status of housedust to an awe inspiring wonder! The first sonnet as well is beautiful. The only little blurb that gave me momentary pause if your choice of the word 'pack'
for the houseplants 'packing' their scents, I don't know it seemed an odd choice, although for alliterations' sake it is effective.
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The word was deliberately chosen, and not for alliteration, but because, although an unusual coining, it fitted exactly the image I wanted to convey - something that is crowded, with a hint of order, but also a hint of over-filling.
Hmmm. I wonder who has been quoting my first line in a contest?
I am glad you liked this one. -
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Ah, I was thinking of this contest, it's not quite the same, just made me think of it I suppose
http://allpoetry.com/contest/2278395 -
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Ah! I see what you mean.
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Thank you for entering... I shall be judging the competition during this morning - though as I have to enter hospital at mid-day, it may be a few days before I can comment on poems individually. Points will be distributed (DV) on 1 May, and in the meantime you can earn extra points by commenting on other people's entries. To earn points in this way, comments should be at least 30 words long (your own words - quotes from the poem do not count), have something meaningful to say, and say it in standard English!
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#3
Tu escribes como mil maravillas! Ya lo sabias, verdad?
Atentivamente,
Juanito
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Muchas gracias, Juanito mi hermano.
(we have probably dredeged up every word of Spanish I actually know)
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Well! Whoever requested these be posted should be commended. These are world class sonnets and I had to read them several times because they are so captivating. And; yes, I do read everything you post. I'm your lil pain in the ass.
Love,
Amera♥
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No, I mean they were re-posted for the contest, but had been originally written at someone's request. I seem to remember it was melodies, but I could be wrong.
I don't mind the pain in the ass, so long as it brings in bunnies.
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I'll send you a bunny farm. Mine reproduce very quickly.
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And beautifully written too!
I looked at the contest earlier, I love impossible challenges! Do justice to the contest, Vera and beat that. That should be tough enough!
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Help ma boab! You were on to this one before the ruddy ink was dry! Glad you like it. It belongs to the days when I really could write sonnets!
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