inklings

Gold cherry
Poem of the week

By Di_Hard

Thu, 25 May 2023
  • 1952 reads
21 comments
 

commas wait for speech, in thickening stillness

wriggle, as possibilities shrink

to silt in sun's incomprehension

for small ink black slinkings

 

liquid amber ditchwater 

shallows to a page's flat

and far away another species

burns both futures

to keep today's wrongs a little longer

 

rain should have come by now, its absent glistening cool

like a God shaped hole, dry drills through April, May

 

yet their tail ends not in a full stop but gripping

feet accompli; Life goes on

to velvet grass, tangled in our eyes, but this

light-fed breathing green, aeons honed 

is bladed perfection, expecting

their lives' link to tickle in arcing shadows

since dinosaurs were. Now fewer, fewer

each year frogs measure our great achievement

 

 

ps. I got this wrong, tadpoles do not burrow down into the mud till it rains. This year none have survived

 

Certificate U
Poem

Comments

Submitted by marandina on

"..rain should have come by now, its absent glistening cool.."

Nature has a way of overcoming despite everything we throw at it. Notwithstanding, we need to reverse the environmental damage being done.

 

Eloquent and poignant, Di [Should that be "aeons" or is it an abbreviation for something else?] 

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Thankyou very much for your careful reading, Paul :0) Have changed to aeons, which is the British spelling - I think I must remember it without the A from all the sci-fi and fantasy books by American authors :0)

 

Submitted by marandina on

British, American, it's all Greek to me, Di :) Congratulations on the POTW. Well deserved. Paul. 

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Thankyou! Definitely Greek :0)

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Liquid amber ditchwater

shallows to a page flat

and far away another species

burns both futures 

to keep today's wrongs a little longer

 

I found these lines so profound. The complexity of your poem gives much food for thought and compels the reader to really think, which is a good thing Di.

The earth is our home and we should take great care of it.

Jenny. 

 

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Thankyou so much Jenny, you always know what I am trying to say! And Thankyou, too for highlighting which bit you liked, that is really kind

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

This one needs to be read and reread to fully appreciate its depths - beautiful Di, thank you

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

This is our Poem of the Week - Congratulations!

It's also our Facebook and Twitter Pick of the Day

Please share/retweet if you enjoy it too

Beautiful tadpole pic, poet's own

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

GOSH!!! Was ABSOLUTELY not expecting that! THANKYOU so much!

 

Submitted by lenchenelf on

...don't undersell yourself, s'good stuff heart

best as ever

Lena xx

 

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Thankyou Lena! Means a lot :0)

 

Submitted by celticman on

frogs are us, the leap from water to soil still be played out in aqueous form of poetry. 

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

:0) I love the idea of poetry being words in liquid form!

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

I've been pondering this awhile Di. I hadn't realised there is such a decline in frogs here. Hard to watch them in a shrinking pool. Quite awhile ago, we had a pond they and we visited just behind our garden in school grounds, and the pond even then frequently dried up. But the school was largely rebuilt and the conservation area managed and the pond given a good base I think to stop it happening, but at the same time the grounds were sealed off and we couldn't go in to see them any more!

I don't understand all the last verse, I'm afraid. It is about the tadpoles becoming frogs and leaving before the puddle dries out is it? Did you mean fait accompli?

Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Thankyou so much for reading and commenting so thoughtfully Rhiannon!. Feet accompli is meant to be a pun :0) Though have a feeling perhaps it should be accomplis as plural, but as it is mixing two languages anyway thought better to leave it. The last part is about how some will survive but they will be fewer than last time and they fewer than the time before? Agree, it is DREADFUL to watch their bit of water go from a wide shallow bend of stream to the size of a tea tray. am wondering if should a) bring some water from my water butt in a bottle, or b) take some tadpoles to another pond in the wood which used to be the main frog place till a few years ago (when it dried up first), but this year has water but no tadpoles, though there was frogspawn laid there. Not sure what happened to them, so might be a risk. I am sorry you cannot see your local pond anymore, it is fun watching new lives develop isn't it? Thankyou again, very much for reading :0)

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Wow, I never thought about that clever pun, always a bit slow on such! Very good idea! Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

I think it must come from reading Ewan's poetry - he is BRILLIANT at them!

 

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

There are so many rich details in this poem. Zooming in on another world, you've expressed this amphibious enclave so artfully. Very much enjoyed and well deserved POTDsmiley.

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Thankyou so much for reading Jane, I really appreciate it if you think it works as your Nature poems are inspirational

 

Submitted by onemorething on

This is incredible, Di. 

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Oh! Thankyou so much Rachel! That means a lot, coming from you! I hope you are well. All the tadpoles have hidden deep under the mud now. I do hope it rains soon