The Look
I remember
it was the season of acorns
and blow-sideways long-winded clouds
and tidal nights,
and the weather was a serpent
that God had created
for poets to muse over,
like they do about a proper English summer, or a cast iron cooking pot preferred by cannibals in New Guinea,
and I remember
it was that sort of day when Mum died,
and now when the wind howls
and the moon toys with the tide,
I think of her, threatening
to knock me into last year if I didn’t
remove that look from my face.
inspired by Poets United, Writers’ Pantry 50 “A feeling down in your bones” © Misky 2020. Image from unSplash cc:00
17 responses to “for Poets United”
Lovely. I like your “long-winded clouds,” It’s so true certain types of says are forever associated with moments in our lives. The weather the night my husband died, for example, is scarred into my brain.
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Thank you. Our brains are certainly complicit in creating and rewriting our memories.
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Peculiar–and so very powerful–the things that stay with us, that come into mind when we remember people who were important to us.
I really like the structure of this poem. The progression is also wonderful–when I finished reading, I actually exhaled.
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I’m glad you remembered to breathe. 😆
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Me too, lol!
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LOVE your hyphenated description of the clouds …. wonderful poetry. Cheers.
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Thank you.
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The ending made me laugh, even if it wasn’t very funny at the time! The bit in italics set the poem on a high ground.
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She had a way with words when it came to threats.
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Lovely piece, I was chuckling in the first stanza, grim in the second, and by the end, both at the same time.
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Yes. An emotional rollercoaster, my mum. Thanks, Peter.
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What a delight to read a poem that surprises every word on the way.
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Thanks!
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Oh what a beautiful touching poem and I had to laugh at “her, threatening
to knock me into last year if I didn’t
remove that look from my face” She had a sense of humour 🙂
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Ah, the mixed memories! The details to which both affection and grief attach. Wonderful poem! You evoke that weather and atmosphere beautifully.
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Ha … your Mum was quite a character.We miss them, especially at this time of year..
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I miss her on Sundays for some reason.
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