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)

17.3.19

Missing Selene


Missing Selene

I long to be able to look and see 
through the swirling curtains of mystery.

I find myself blinded and silenced
in the banality of misery. 

She and me in only three years
lived ourselves a sweet history.

Is it the living or the going
gives this knowing of Great Mystery?

Ah, but who knows, oh Rose of the Sea,
of the Moon Goddess now? Where is she?


Notes:
1) My cat, Selene, was named after the Moon Goddess.
2) It's usual in a ghazal to include the poet's own name or some form of it in the final couplet. Rosemary (Latin rosmarinus) means Rose of the Sea. It seemed a nice match with Moon Goddess, turning us both mythic. [Later research reveals that 'dew of the sea' is a more accurate translation, but I'll leave the poem as is, for both the rhyme and the meaning.]
3) I like to create deliberate variations from the ghazal form (inspired by the late John Calvin Rezmerski) – in this case by varying the couplets' final word, but with words/phrases that could mean or include 'mystery'. (Well, I say they could, anyway.)

Linked to Poets United's Poetry Pantry #443



19 comments:

  1. Amazing what history one can live with a beloved pet in just three years. I like the question about whether it is the 'living' or the 'going.' Lots to contemplate here. So hard, no matter what.

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  2. This is so beautiful and poignant. I know that missing so well. I love the wonderful mythic names....and LOVE "in only three years lived ourselves a sweet history." Yes, indeed you did.

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  3. Love how you describe it, and how you used the meaning of her name in that last glorious couplet.

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  4. That longing runs so deep, and it never ends. It seems to grow stronger, create fresh roots in the new memories we create... especially if said memories bring back what was.

    I love the way you tweaked the form.

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  5. Oh I like the "rose of the sea" reference... !!!

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  6. I love the rhyming words in your ghazaI, Rosemary, and the linking you and your cat to the names of goddesses. A lovely tribute to Selene. My cat Luna is also named for the moon.

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  7. It hurt so much when I had my last pet dog put down. I have never had one since. I just get my kicks from fussing over my daughters dogs.

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  8. I remember that banality of misery when I lost my Faye pup, and how the days ran together after that.

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  9. This is heart-wrenchingly beautiful in its longing, Rosemary. A lovely tribute to Selene.

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  10. A lovely poem in memory of Selene.

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  11. Lovely...our pets, our companions and our teachers. Love the names.

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  12. Love the way the last line casts this into myth and shades the mystery (and sadness) with awe.

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  13. One of the great questions of all time: How do we solve the mystery---in our coming or in our going? No definitive answer yet!

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  14. Animals weave a special kind of magic.

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  15. I have four cats at the moment..two inside and two roaming cats I take care of outside. The are definitely magic. So sorry your precious kitty had to leave her earthly body, but I am sure she iw with you.

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  16. An emotive, somewhat compelling, title - as it reveals - in a mere 2 words - that this is a poem about a relationship. 'Missing Selene' heralds the poignant lines that follow, beautifully. I love the cadence with which you've imbued the piece (the use of rhyme/near rhyme, throughout, works so well here). Wonderfully rendered.

    And thank you for taking the time to share some interesting and edifying back notes, Rosmarinus. The 'naming' was a wonderful 'chestnut' of info - a poem in there, methinks, unto itself.

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  17. Wow! This poem is magical. The bigger mystery is the love that grows.

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  18. one can feel the longing in those words.
    i liked your variation of a ghazal, it is such a delight to read. :)

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  19. Lovely. I know how it feels to miss a dear pet

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