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The Wisdom of Shadows

Like shadows I shrink
when the earth tilts towards life
and struggles into long depressions
when tilted into death.

Perhaps
I've listened too long
to the wisdom of gray sprites;
never going deeper
than the light

else

the darkness might steal
my substance
and hoard it
in the lightless purse
of a moonless night.

Author notes

JM Kenyon

A contest entry

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Comments

1 - 9 of 9

  • Exit-Stage-Right
    March 29

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    Congrats on gold, JM. I had just a wee bit of trouble negotiating the minimalist punctuation. It took a second read to understand that "struggles" referred to "earth," not "I." It was still a fun ride down the white-water words of wisdom!


  • Amera gold member
    March 27

    Edit | Reply
    What a joy to read! This poem gets an A+ for originality. As the reader, I was captivated with the first two lines. You have combined imagery with motion throughout the entire poem and you forced me to send this poem to the finalist list.

    Love,
    Amera♥


  • PastelMoons gold member
    March 8

    Edit | Reply
    I love this-- from the title
    to the end lines
    very impressive!
    But no surprises ,
    you're a very talented writer!
    Good luck in the contest.

    ~Pastel


  • inder silver member
    February 20

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    Purse of a moonlight!

    love the original metaphors Jeanie... kind of a flight that leaves the reader light and bathed in light...delves deep, remains earthy yet it grows wings!


  • maa gold member
    February 2

    Edit | Reply
    thank you for this wonderful verse, my dear sister genie ...
    I can very well identify with your feelings expressed here in such a masterfully simple manner ...
    I also read dana's comment, and must admit that I do prefer the climate on the sunny côte d'azur to the grey in grey wintery landscape in my motherland austria ...
    yet, I do realize as well that what has made me suffer all those years was not the weather, but my belief that "it should not be cold and grey out there" ...
    needless to say that this revelation makes me truly enjoy the rain that is falling right now from the heavy grey clouds out my window ...
    the unquestioned thought : "the sun should shine" while it doesn't, makes me unhappy ... when I drop the thought, I am at peace again ...
    even if the sun keeps on hiding ...

    I will have to try to do the same with my husband prefering internet over his family ...
    "my husband should prefer his family over internet, is it true ?" - "no, it isn't, because he doesn't" ... that's all it needs in order for me to be content ...

    much, much love,
    marion

    ps. and sorry for the sermon, I always tend to end up preaching for some reasons ... "I should not preach, is it true ?" ... hahahahaha ... "no, because I do preach !" what a relief from guilt and shame !!!

    • JM Kenyon silver member
      February 3
      Edit | Reply
      I'll have to try this and see if it helps me survive the next two months of snow and cold

      It will be hard work to say it and make it stick a few moments at a time. I've run out of projects to occupy mind mind and hands and am fighting cronic boredom.

      "Two more weeks!"

      That is my motto now It is two more weeks until I start planting seedling in the greenhouse for Spring planting. eight more weeks until the weather should break enough for me to comfortably get out and breathe sun-warmed air!

      s ~Genie~


  • Errant Panther gold member
    January 25

    Edit | Reply
    wonderfully deep and intense imagery and the content leaves the reader much to complate about their own demons and how they might come to deal with them.


  • Danna Hobart
    January 21

    Edit | Reply
    Your title pulled me right in. Your images are very relateable.

    When I was in New York, I suffered greatly from seasonal affective disorder. I remember weeks where the skies were overcast every day, and I would go places in search of light, but nothing helped, until I discovered that I could actually soak up sunshine through movies that had a lot of outdoor scenes in them. That really helped me. So did moving to California

    • JM Kenyon silver member
      January 22
      Edit | Reply
      I don't know how snow dwellers survive once they outgrow playing in the cold Some never do, hence skiing, snowmobiles, snow surfing, snow tubing...

      I lost the taste for huffing 20 minutes up the side of a 200 yard hill for the one minute of thrills found in flying back down,(and that is only if you aren't thrown or otherwise launched into the air to land, preferably, on your back with the wind punched out of you ) only to do the uphill march all over again

      I'm not usually ready to flog the weatherman for being the bearer of bad news until about mid-February, but this year, I wanted to flog him for Christmas

      Thanks so much for your comment. s and best wishes... ~Genie~

1 - 9 of 9