New Poem – Sylvia & Ted…
Posted on Mar 23, 2013 in Blog feature, Recent Writing | 20 comments
To seek solace as they did.
To draw strength from the natural world,
Only for it to tighten its remorseless grip,
Till it brings you face to face
With elementary truths
That spear your insignificance
And stake it to the ground without pity,
Like a trophy,
Like the bloodied innards
Of a wounded animal,
Caught in the final dazzle of despair.
I can imagine that,
Before she left him,
They might have often sat indoors,
Hidden away from the awful truths
They had uncovered,
Watching the heat from the fire,
Cast in germ-like shadows,
Rise slowly up the wall.
All too aware
That their time together was now melting away.
Two souls emptied, hollowed out,
By the risks taken in pursuit of meaning.
And, at the window,
Diamond truth.
The hawk’s eye
That mocked them without mercy
And harried them, desolate, to their graves.
Sometimes there is sadness in truth.. I enjoyed this.
Just recently I read a bit about both their stories…such a tragedy…really brought me almost to tears and both such outstanding artists.. cool write and esp. loved the hawk’s eye in the close there..
Two great poets with a sad story. A mismatch to those on the outside, but we can only read their work to find what they had alone. Yes, would have been a nice conversation. Excellente.
Oh, wow. Well done. Sylvia P and Ted Hughes.
Really intriguing…the truth found and then the hiding away from it, much as they are hiding away from the truth of themselves…the whole time truth staring in at them through the window…really an interesting write…and interesting choice as well of who to write on Scott….very nicely done…
Oh to be a fly on the wall trying to understand….
They both taught us how to taste the sweet world of imagination.
“Come with all your heart”
Oh my, I love this, when I was young Sylvia was my favorite poet… I’ve read all her work and everything else I could about her as well… you captured it all so well in these words. Loved germ-like shadows and diamond truth. Two haunted souls in that room by that fire.
This is haunting, really beautiful… love the diamonds and hawk at the end.
A sad reflective piece, which acknowledges well the influence of nature.
elementary truths
That spear your insignificance
And stake it to the ground without pity,
haunting…
I must now read all there is about them..heart rendering write!
I like the way you use a lot of their own imagery in this poem (the hawk, the bloodied innards, all the cruelty of the animal world) to capture a sense of the inevitable.
Scott Says: Absolutely Marina – that lies very much at the heart of it…
Dear Scott: I am not sure how you would like me to answer. Thank you for the feeling of sharp bitterness this poem engenders for me. And I am wondering if you can deeply relax and intuit how each of them felt being with the other and what the ‘awful truths’ might have been and whose they were. This could all be the subjects of other poems. Thank you for the work and time this one must have taken. Marika
Scott says: Yes response is difficult Marika – I find that too… I admired both their work – Sylvia especially… The more talented of the two by far, in my opinion – but, almost inevitably, less durable in this world sadly… I think all one can do is reflect and wonder, in every sense of the word!
This reveals without telling. A very touching poem, that uncovers hidden pain…simply worded but with some beautiful phrases. I liked ‘germ like shadows’.
The metaphors of nature/animals and the brutality give a strong impact to the poem that adds an uncomfortable image. This interwoven with the tale makes this poem standout.
It is a tragic story for them both, Scott. Both two very talented people and left in such a mess.
I have been here to your website and like it very much. I use to build these, so I feel I have a keen eye. It is a really beautiful site, very simple and easy to navigate; classy. I have read your poems and they all touched me, but I favor “Sylvia & Ted” the most. I like them very much.
🙂
The Poet
Natascha Hoover
Very brave piece. Daring. Strong subject matter.
I like it very much. Poetry is meant to move, intended to incite and excite. To inspire one to to think and FEEL.
A hard hitting one with a steely voice. The tone is hard hitting than being considerate. An existential pursuit than a metaphysical one. Well done.