Odilon Redon, “The Muse on Pegasus”
In the moments between
the dream hours
she joins my father
in the timeless night–
not asking if this universe
is real or true,
~only that it is~
all I can embrace–
the magic of a laugh,
the sun dancing in
the promise of a new morning,
and the rhapsodic songs of the stars,
lingering.
The Oracle gave me nearly all the words for this puente, so–I just went with it.
Redon, “Barque Mystique”
In a dream,
I sailed the night sky,
swallowed the music of the stars,
merged with them, glowing incandescent,
red shifting, drifting through time and beyond–
and when I woke,
I took your hand. We opened a door
together, began a new life,
of hopes, fears, love, tears–
ebbing, flowing, drifting through time–and beyond.
For Anmol’s prompt on dVerse, “Portals,”
I’m using this Redon painting again because it fits.
Reflection, Odilon Redon
Almost-color in the clouds–
dark ghosts–that blush-tipped feathers
wing away, the dreams that linger
~in the after-winds of time~
we watch the fire-heart of the sky
dazzle us with flower-flames–
singing songs of a thousand ifs
~in a shimmering symphony~
the heavens dance,
giant birds soar, their iridescent splendor a-flight,
traveling home, bright jewels in the night.
A double puente, which probably isn’t a form, from my Saturday morning collaboration with the Oracle. I’ve been having a hard time focusing the last couple of days, so I’m taking it. And Redon, of course.
Redon, “Barque Mystique”
days turn to night
and back again–
dreams drift,
a barque on a mysterious sea
~above the stars dance~
and we reach up, swallow them–
filled with honeyed light
we whisper in shimmered tones,
leap–and fly.
This is a puente. I didn’t have a chance to post it yesterday for Day 16 of NaPoWriMo, but I’m off prompt. I’m linking this to dVerse’s Open Link Night, where Lillian is hosting.
Odilon Redon, “Béatrice”
“All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.”
–Edgar Allan Poe, “A Dream Within a Dream”
In a dream, I found you
there, not as I knew you,
but aglow,
your spirit gilding your face,
and through the mist,
you reached, took my hand,
and gazed at me with sea-green eyes
and led me to a sailing raft
and there reclined with me.
Then, under blossoming clouds–
scarlet, gold, and sapphire–
we sailed into the infinite,
a thousand tomorrows waited.
But I awoke,
my face salty only with tears
and longed to sleep
and dream again and again
and forever of you.
Odilon Redon, “Flower Clouds”
Lillian has asked us to write a poem about dreams at dVerse today. I think I probably write about dreams often, but these two paintings popped into my head. Can you have an ekphrastic poem based on two sources?
Odilon Redon, Beatrice
Her garden lives in ifs,
it is sweet pink whispers
beating away the black.
Music mists a symphony of the sea,
licking rocks
to soar and spray in the wind,
dream shadows play
beneath a honeyed moon,
and the sky smells of summer rain.
So, she watches there–
not asking why–
in timeless beauty of when-after,
and she sings through rose petal-light,
of blood, life, love, and life.
I needed this bit of surrealism. The Oracle always knows. I think this could be where she lives.
Odilon Redon, “Flower Clouds,” [Public Domain],Wikipedia
The sky whispers a flowered song
scented with tangerines, honey,
and blue berried-visions.
(I feel the taste
of the shimmering mirage,
briny-cool and warm summer peach .)
Our mast shivers from
the vibrations, the language
of strutting peacock clouds.
The eyes watch
and guide us
in the golden light—
as we sail–
timeless and tide-whorled–
on a sea of dreams.
Day 21 of NaPoWriMo challenges us to “try to play around with writing that doesn’t make formal sense, but which engages all the senses and involves dream-logic.”
We sojourn on between the moons
climbing full and white and bright and clear
but still the dark I feel is near
though here there is more luminous light
where comes the song of ancient sprites
wandering through shade, illuminating sight,
nearby, a diamond girl shimmers and glows,
ensorcelling face, radiant clothes,
her tongue sings music of forest and glen
urging spring and summer, again, again,
and time is endless here and always
with shadows splashed by sun-shining blazes
and roses bloom with sweet perfume
like golden apples of the sun, yet unconsumed
and gleaming, Earth seesaws now between beginning and done,
we’re dreaming, spindrift from slipstream, time’s run
Odilon Redon, Beatrice,” [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Day 29, WaPoWriMo. The penultimate day. The prompt was to take a word or phrase from a favorite poem, free associate, and then write a poem. I took some words and phrases from the Magnetic Poetry Oracle and went from there.
I’ve borrowed an image idea–using one that is similar to the one Jane Dougherty used in her dreamy vision–because I thought this golden Beatrice fit the poem. So thanks, Jane. 😉
Odilon Redon, La Voile jaune (The Yellow Sail). Image courtesy of the Indianapolis Museum of Art.
(1.) The Refugees
We ached for home,
starting our journey, looking back
we ached for home
though forced to flee, and forced to roam
in our red boat, we had to tack
the golden sail, the night loomed black
we ached for home
(2.) The Female Pirates
With sparkling jewels
We set sail upon the ocean
With sparking jewels
We challenged men, we broke the rules,
Made our plans, set them in motion
Women! We caused a commotion
With sparkling jewels
These two poems are in response to Jane Dougherty’s Poetry Challenge #37. For this challenge, we were to write a rondelet using the image above, Odilon Redon’s La Voile jaune (The Yellow Sail) and the word “journey.” This is a new form for me. Both of these poems are inspired by the picture, but only the first one uses the word “journey.” A rondelet is a 7-line poem (septet) with two rhymes and a repeated refrain. The refrain is 4 syllables; the other lines are 8 syllables. AbAabbA
