TRACKING LIFE
My eyes are getting milky
from staring at the moon –
the snow moon that hangs
on the ice encrusted limbs
of flesh, muscle, and bone.
I was a young girl, once,
staring at a snow moon
out my bedroom window.
Its soft glow got inside
of me that night and somehow
I was able to carry the light
for a time. And the snow?
It melted inside my veins
and ran like sap in a maple,
clear and sweet and slow.
My eyes are getting milky
from staring at the moon –
the snow moon that hangs
on the ice encrusted limbs
of flesh, muscle, and bone.
I was a young girl, once,
staring at a snow moon
out my bedroom window.
Its soft glow got inside
of me that night and somehow
I was able to carry the light
for a time. And the snow?
It melted inside my veins
and ran like sap in a maple,
clear and sweet and slow.
26 comments:
My first thought: Ah, there you are!
Now for the poem: More and more lately I feel this way - from the image of milky eyes, the cataracts of age obscuring or fading the pure vision of my youth yet still remembering the "soft glow" that we "carry...for a time" to the snow that once ran "clear and sweet and slow" yet now is like the ice encrusted limbs.
I love the whole thing for its imagery and its wistfulness, but those last four lines really get to me and cause a lump in my throat.
Finally, you always have a knack for choosing a great title, which I think is a difficult thing to do.
Great talent on display here. No wonder I think, "Ah! There she is!"
I think you're still there.
Beautiful verse. :)
Kaye, this is so beautiful... It gives me the enchanted feel and the sadness that only the Moon can summon...
But I think you still carry the light...
Hi Mom,
Ahh, me...the moon. I like this poem in how it's saying that the moon has been here for as long as you can remember and will be here long after we are all gone. It's a constant. The poem is enchanting and metaphysical.
Kay,
Was worth the wait. I knew we were related somehow.
Thank you,
Terry
PS, may I copy and past this to my blog please?
The "somehow" caught in my throat here. Youth is a part of that milky innocence, with no perspective or awareness to muddy it. We start to track life, and that is when its sweetness starts to fade...or seem as distant as the moon.
Your words are always like sap inside my veins, Kaye. Even when they're bittersweet, they're warm in flow and truth. This was a beautiful read.
The snow does that, doesn't it? That explains a lot-- the longing that never really goes away, that craving for the changing of the seasons.
The slow rhythm of this poem works for me as it takes a while for snow to melt. Aso the rhymes and half rhymes of 'o' and 'oo' add to the atmosphere.
I'm with Karen, it's so good to see you back online! Oh yes, you served a slice of all that snow moon is. That transcendent light still glows from you, and is so very beautiful K.
We'll never get tired of having a peek at a certain Old Mossy Moon. :P
I was gone away long enough too, so guess we both have a lot of catching up to do. My reader reads 98 remaining!
This leaves me wishing for a second stanza. I want to hear about how the moonlight is even brighter and clearer now, because it can be sensed with your heart instead of requiring youthful eyes.
As always, you leave me in awe of how you can say so much with the right choice of words.
:)
Hello, Kaye! This poem is so beautiful and puts me in that "misty" kind of mood. It makes many memories swirl through my mind. I especially love the snow moon on ice encrusted limbs "of flesh, muscle, and bone." Lovely work!
i really like the poem. as you know i like moon poems the best of all. and stage sets with moons and hurricanes and things too....
Karen, thanks for missing me when I am away a little longer than usual. :) I appreciate your heartfelt comments. You were there when the sap was running...ergo the lump, methinks!
Jason - many thanks for that fine compliment. I mean it. xo xo
Vesper - Your words and thoughts are very sweet. Thanks! (I see bright moon glow in you, you know.)
Merissa - Yes, how many nights did we allow the moon to guide all of us in so many beautiful directions. Midnight faery ball in the enchanted wood?? Thanks for your lovely remarks. love..
Hi Terry - Thanks, my friend. It does seems as though we live in a parallel universe, you and I. Sure you can copy and paste to your blog...and thank you! ;)))
Sarah, I am always pleased to have you read my work. Your analysis reaches a particular depth. Thanks so much.
Rachel, I see you are of a like mind. Thanks for your astute thoughts.
Hi Gordon, thanks for your studied input, especially as to rhyme scheme. Good to see you,
Cat - You are so kind. Thanks ever so much for the flattering words. You shine mighty bright yourself.
Ani, I'm going to stop over your place in a while. Thanks for that sweet comment. Hope you will always come by to have a peek at OMM! :O
Aine - You are so right, the light IS brighter because so much has been added to my life since I was a teenager. I appreciate your estimation of my work. It means a lot to me.
Julie - Mucho thanks for your kind remarks. Always great to see you!
Hey, Ghost Dansing...so happy to oblige! I loved the video - great to see him at a younger age. His voice sounds the very same now, I think. Thanks!!! ;)
ok - i'm sure it's me - but i've read this a few times and feel like i just got off a rollercoaster. i was sad and getting sadder, and then i just saw light and snow and strong limbs, and then the last few lines just seemed so steady and sure - i think that's where i wound up - there is a peace and strength in this that frames it and illuminates it. maybe it's that glow still shining.
Waugh, I could've sworn I posted a comment already... anyway, now it sounds overly repetitious, but this is positively lovely.
Joaquin - Isn't life like that - a rollercoaster of wonderment, happiness, sadness, regret, strength, knowledge, innocence, wisdom, resolution, tenacity, et.al., et.al...
Yes, peace. Thanks for always sharing *your* light. It inspires.
Joseph, your compliment is truly appreciated. Oh, and I know, Blogger eats my comments, too, sometimes. :-(
Beautiful poem, Kaye... sorry for taking so long to visit and catch up on your work... but thank you as always for visiting my blog... take care, my friend :)
Kay,
This reminds me of a line from Norman McLean, A River Runs Through It..."I am haunted by the waters...."
Bob, nice to see you anytime. I know you are busy and I thank you for stopping in. Great new poems at your place. Thanks! :)
Teryy - Oh, I loved that movie! Thanks. Terry!
Absolutely enchanting, K. Now, back to researching lost treasure!
Rick, thank you very much.
Yes, back to finding the gold - and remember - if you find the treasure... I am your long lost cousin! ;D
Hi Kaye. Thank you for your message. This is a lovely piece. I looked up 'snow moon' as it wasn't a phrase I'd come across anywhere before. I read two accounts but you're obviously referring to the February full moon, otherwise known as the hunger moon. That name seems to fit your mood, and your poem, as well, from whichever point of view you're looking. Not hunger in the cold, gnawing pain of deprival, but hunger in the sense of a yearning towards, a desire for what the moon represents. This isn't very well put, but I think I understand what you're saying better than I'm saying what I understand.
Mairi, nice to see you. I appreciate your reflective remarks.
Yes, the full moon of February, Full Snow Moon, as named by the north eastern tribes of Native Americans, because February has such heavy snowfalls. Hunger Moon was another name for it, since it was hard to find food in the bleak weather conditions.
And...I think your understanding of the poem is put very well!
Many thanks for your contemplative comment. Again, so good to see you!
Post a Comment