The smell of sweetmeat
carries a wisp of wind
and a cluster of
swoon swept
strawberry leaves,
to gather underneath
a butternut tree, bringing upon
a waterlike dream
After the snow
the countess wakes
from her beauty sleep
swallowing slices of
buttermilk cream,
capturing winter glow in
her silver star emollient
smothering layers
of clouds and steam
across her salt scotched skin
Her arteries plump, hungry for
shimmer and gold,
saturated veins carrying impure blood
back to her heart
The reflection in the mirror
speaks rage and rumple
countless hours of
bloodless sleep
For a single stolen moment
of flickering light, she rises
only to fall back into her corpse
melting herself, silver and sugar
beneath the glittering tree, where
the Queen's sweetmeat
gathers hope
to feed her dreamlike sleep
Inspired by Shawna's Flipside Flotsam list
Shared at dVerse Poets Open Link Night
Just gorgeous. I love these best:
ReplyDelete"cluster of swoon swept strawberry leaves"
"swallowing slices of buttermilk cream"
"smothering layers of clouds and steam"
"countless hours of bloodless sleep"
"only to fall back into her corpse" ... Wow. This is powerful and intense. Poor Countess.
You've done a lot with the word list here, and also made a very vivid series of pictures tangling the human with the natural in a dreamstate from which one doesn't want to wake. I love 'rage and rumple' and 'silver star emollient' especially.
ReplyDeleteThis is lovely weaving of words ~ I specially like strawberry leaves and butternut tree, and silver and sugar ~
ReplyDeletewow...enchanting...like a fairy tale a bit...the alliteration throughout is spot on and really carries this well...there is an intersting magic to it...kinda like sleeping beauty...
ReplyDeleteI cannot write all of my fav lines. But this has a floe of geneous. It reads so beautifully out loud. I love the sounds, the S's expecially. I feel akin to this voice, I trust it to taske me where you want. Excellente!
ReplyDelete"capturing winter glow in
ReplyDeleteher silver star emollient"
So many, many beautiful phrases and word choices...this poem just glitters of fairy-like magic!! Loved this! ♥
Once again you write words that in their use stare us down in our bewilderment and then we nod our acceptance. Every poem of yours is an adventure; a test almost of our belief in the way the world can look if we have the imagination. (I would have preferred "Scorched" to "Scotched" though).
ReplyDeleteThanks Oldegg. Yes, scorched would have painted the layer a bit deeper, but scotched was on the list of words and I wanted to make it fit as possibly, scoring the skin. :) Thank you for always sending a supportive note my way.
Deletethis is nurturing and rich like a wonderful meal and full of taste and scents and fairytale magic...
ReplyDeleteshimmer and gold..what a dream..what a rich feast of words..jae
ReplyDeleteMore than a touch of enchantment. It does read like a fairy tale. Some of the imagery is fabulous. I also love all the 'S' words put together.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful.
Such a fantastical poem. I especially like the reflection in sleep bringing rage and rumple. Very clever. k.
ReplyDeleteMagic sure abounds with a certain touch that was enjoyed very much.
ReplyDeletealoha Archna - magic woven through a dream - enchantment. i like the moment you have gone after - this waking only to slip back into sleep. the moment is rolled into the flutter and glitter of the word list and how you've used them - a light dusting that soaks through tasty morsels... you mix the ingredients and then bake it all into this story spilling out clear across the floor, until we pool back into our self. cool. and fun. aloha.
ReplyDeleteHi Archna,
ReplyDeleteYes, I can help you with posting your share at D'verse.
I suggest that you published the post and I will pick up the link for you.
Grace