Thursday, May 27, 2010

Magpie #16



what is the sound of your trial by fire

is it the soft unlatching of sandals
for the sake of holy ground
only to walk the coals
lusty flames
gorging themselves
on the last of your faith

is it the escaped groan
of watching your dream slip
the long, slow fall
shattering
like broken glass under bare feet

is it the mother's staccato lament
planting the son of promise
supinated and shoeless
into the eager earth

perhaps it is the trickle of a briny bath
while hope walks away
like a fickle lover
or the silent abuse of unforgiving heat
claiming your tongue and
turning your sweet songs to vapor

maybe your cries come
a mere echo back from deaf caverns
but of this I am sure
there will be the shout of return
glorious return
like the white wizard
full of light and power
or Lazarus unforgotten

and the deep sigh
of feeling the dewy, yielding grass
between your toes again


For a look at more Magpie Tales follow this road

17 comments:

  1. beautiful
    the shoes had me thinking of grass under my feet too

    ReplyDelete
  2. My goodness ... this is just overwhelmingly good!

    ReplyDelete
  3. this is terrific. and the end was just super strong. what a treat.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Simply divine -- it flows with a big deep sigh just like the dewy grass between the toes-- love that feeling...
    Love this poem.

    Joanny

    ReplyDelete
  5. is it the mother's staccato lament
    planting the son of promise
    supinated and shoeless
    into the eager earth

    Ohhhhh...........

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ah, to be barefoot.

    Which, by no accident, is the brand of the wine I am currently enjoying. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  7. dang that was good...i love to walk barefoot and one day listen for that return...nicely done!

    ReplyDelete
  8. this was even better the second time through.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Amazing,beautiful...just like you! It makes me miss you even more. You truly are a writer and I can understand why you were Alyssa's favorite English teacher.

    ReplyDelete
  10. A powerful poem, Lisa. This has tones of T.S. Eliot, a tentative call for meaning in a broken world... "broken glass under bare feet, a mere echo back from deaf caverns, a Lazarus unforgotten..." Thanks for sharing this rich poem.

    ReplyDelete
  11. That was really very deep! You are a good writer!

    ReplyDelete
  12. This is beautiful, Lisa. I can't believe you've been sitting on this amazing talent for so long. I'm at a loss for words.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Gosh, this is beautiful. I adore your writing, Lisa!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Walking the coals before that blessed grass..that's life, I guess! So good..

    ReplyDelete
  15. made my toes curl-great magpie!

    ReplyDelete