We who with songs beguile your pilgrimage / And swear that Beauty lives though lilies die, / We Poets of the proud old lineage / Who sing to find your hearts, we know not why ... (James Elroy Flecker)

21.2.18

In a Cabin by the Ocean ...


For the series, "Edges"
Her Voice 


In a Cabin by the Ocean

The sea is all wild foam tonight.
The phone shrills suddenly out of silence,
then stops. Oh, how can I show you
the right way to go from here?
If I give you too much rope
will you wander so far from home
that you never come back? Or – that moan.
Are you staying close, to hang yourself?
The scent of cloves takes me back
to that beach in Bali, before all this woe.


(The first in a series of non-autobiographical poems written from a different persona.)

Shared via The Tuesday Platform for 27 Feb 2018 at "imaginary garden with real toads".


17 comments:

  1. Love how you walk into that persona... it will be interesting to see where it goes.

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    1. Well, so far (four days in) it's more a different voice than a full-blown persona. But it's early days yet, I guess. Whatever it is, I'm letting it take me in whatever direction, rather than seeking to control or steer it.

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  2. I guess sometimes we have to take that risk hoping that loved one won't stray too far. Beautifully penned, Rosemary!💞

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  3. Love the mood here. And it's just cryptic enough to make me go back and read it again...and again...

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  4. Scents hold such power, such a strong link to memory...

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  5. An intriguing beginning. ..I can't wait for more!

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    1. The more are already here, Vivian. Well, a few of them anyway. Click on the "Edges" tag. There will. be yet more to come, and I will gradually share them all via toads or PU.

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  6. Love the second read of this...

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  7. a great exercise for writing !

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  8. The scent of cloves...my what an incredibly rich memory scent. I can hardly wait for more.

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  9. Like this one... the sense of uncertainty is overwhelming...

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  10. I love the lines:
    'If I give you too much rope
    will you wander so far from home
    that you never come back?'
    and the scent of cloves is so evocative.

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  11. I think its great that you're trying out personas. In that bag we tie to our waist there are many winds inside.

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  12. I am glad I came back again as my comment disappeared. I am going to enjoy this series so much. I love the mental scent of cloves. Your persona shines.

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  13. "Or – that moan."

    Rosemary. This is delicious.

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  14. The turbulence in the ocean is a nice backdrop for the turmoil in the protagonist's heart.

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  15. This is quite marvellous, Rosemary.

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