In the shadows of my life
I spy something still askew.
On a grey sombre winter’s afternoon,
The sound of stillness
Penetrates space
To highlight what’s missing.
In a corner though,
Soft pastel energy
Breathes and glows still,
Its perfection somehow more obvious
In the muted light.
As if the gentlest of reminders
To dare to love more.
To recapture bliss and rapture,
That sense of clashing golden symbols,
Of sparking chimes in the ether.
Too often we choose instead
To become lulled,
To forget life shrinks or expands
In relation to courage showed,
Becalmed by the risk of pain or loss
And outcomes that can never be certain.
And, until something stirs,
Who or what gives you that tug,
I wonder?
A summons that beckons you upwards again,
Like an ocean diver ascendant,
Bursting to the surface,
Back into the clear blue skies
And bright yellow light,
The frothing oxygen of hope and exhilaration.
This is the gilded spiral
Of longings within.
Our very own cathedral
That points persistently to heaven.
How precious then the gloom
Beneath these vaulted spires,
And, within such confines,
The needs and wounds
That first find time there
To open us up,
Then lift us homeward again.
Very Nice! You know, poetry is the flight of heart & soul to the sky of imagination, a quality that I feel is present in all of your poems. THANK YOU!
How beautifully the I-narrator of this poem sweetly shifts from “I” to “you” and “we”.
And indeed, the question this poem poses is a universal one: do we settle for living in the shadow of life or do we dare, despite disillusions and pain, to listen to the “soft pastel energy” within us?
Of sparkling chimes in the ether….. Beautiful Scott! Very beautiful. This is a lovely ode which I greatly enjoyed. I have read it twice so far and will do so again, to fully digest the emotion and intent. This poem really reflects my style as well, so you have given me further inspiration to share… Thank you for this. I look forward to enjoying it again and again.
I have just enjoyed reading this poem
Scott….thank you. That touched me deeply….just beautiful!
Scott,
I love the imagery in your new poem, and one stanza strikes me as particularly beautiful:
“This is the gilded spiral/Of longings within./Our very own cathedral/That points persistently to heaven.”
It’s lovely and powerful!
Thanks for sharing your work with me,
Cheri
Wow, simply beautiful and so touching! You’re speaking to my soul.
I can feel that. You’re one unique poet 😉 Love it so much.
This is Very beautiful
Beautiful poem!! My favorite line is “To dare to love more.” The world is hungry for inspiration! Keep adding your inspiration to our yearning world!!
A beautiful poem, enriched with deeper meanings. Scott, your carefully chosen words lead us gently to its pith and leave us gasping at the beauty of the message the poem holds. Skillfully crafted, it stirred my soul! Loved these lines ‘ life shrinks or expands in relation to courage showed’.
This is the gilded spiral
Of longings within.
Our very own cathedral
That points persistently to heaven.
Truly beautiful work ~ and especially loved the above verse! ~ nice to know you Scott! Thank you ~ RL
Very interesting. It brings to mind that the hope is easier to see in the gloom, but easier to feel in the light.
This is a brilliantly written piece. In my opinion, you are truly a poet as you feel, breath, and think the rhythm of poetry!!
Dear Scott,
I noticed that your photo is positioned in such a way that it appears to suggest a decline (if you read it from left to right), a motion of uncontrolled power that requires applying the brakes from time to time. And there you are in the middle of it resting against the fence and pondering your poem, perhaps, and the meaning that speaks so prevalently to me about facing our own fears:
“Too often we choose instead
To become lulled,
To forget life shrinks or expands
In relation to courage showed,
Becalmed by the risk of pain or loss
And outcomes that can never be certain.”
There are no guarantees in life that the outcomes of our actions will yield what we desire; the only sure thing is that we will be disappointed if we do not try.
Scott says: Thanks Shari – I always look forward to what you have to say – your comments are always insightful and persuasive…
Wow! You defintely are a poet. You have a way with words that make people stop in present moment and think about the words that are being read. I enjoy reading your poems, and look forward to the upcoming ones.
Lovely lines and inspiring imagery, Scott! The opening lines sincerely resonate with me now, in the autumn of my life.
~Best, Gloria Wimberley
Lovely and poignant Scott! A wonderful reminder that life is filled with dark and light, pain and pleasure and that through the ups and downs, the seeming extremes, a call for us to remember that “love” is all there really is. 🙂
Beautifully done Scott! Thank you so much for sharing. It reminded me of some of Poe’s best poetry.
I believe you are a poet’s poet–not just a writer of words, but a writer of oneself and what is human.
Amazing reflective thoughts like always , you are talented Scott- B Banu http://bbanublog.wp.com
I like the positive spirit in this… How the choices that we make in the shadow have the power to lift us back towards the light again… Nice
life shrinks or expands
In relation to courage showed,…true that…and life is risk as well…at least real living….enjoyed your verse…
This is a lovely share ~ I like that tug specially these lines:
A summons that beckons you upwards again,
Like an ocean diver ascendant,
Bursting to the surface,
Back into the clear blue skies
And bright yellow light,
The frothing oxygen of hope and exhilaration.
Similes and metaphors are two of the most powerful tools in the poet’s toolkit when it comes to imagery and describing things.
Naturally, they are used a lot in poetry, where the writer has limited words to get his message, or vision across.
Your use pf metaphors and similes are appropriately used to vividly describe things that would otherwise be difficult to picture,
in addition you use them creatively to get a vision across with limited words,
Your poem naturally strikes a chord with the human heart and aptly puts a fresh spin on familiar things.
I really liked the poem In The Shadows. Unusually seeing how your words are balancing light and dark in a way…
‘Gilded spiral’ – so like the golden mean that informs visual, and I think, written art. Lovely piece, Scott! Just lovely!
This poem touched me deeply. It put into words some emotions I’ve been feeling lately, what with aging parents and children trying to find themselves. What “gives you that tug” or lifts your spirit are lovely words such as these. Thanks for sharing.