The tea petals settle
On the lip of the cup
Like a kiss
Or a penny stuck
Her fingers graze gently
Tired chapped skin
A blessing
A flower
A screen
We were always in between people
Never quite us
She rolls on her tummy
Reels in letters
Fishes for words
He made the mirror
More a wall
Less a door
It was far beyond my cunning
She mumbles
Really not fair
All in all
Betrayed
Bewildered
Burnt
I wouldn’t have chased
Rabbit
Fallen
Had I known
I touch her cheek
It is not often we are worsted
Fleeced
Finished
Fucked
Enough with the rhymes
There isn't the time
The clock is ticking
He may come back you know
My evangelist
My penny
My flower
Time bends spoons on the moon
We are up at four
Down at five
Nimble as gymnasts
She squeals
Thick blonde hair
Falls in worry curls
Stiff as wax
Wrestling angels
Night after night
We hang the last cloth
As if it is the holy grail
It is white
We paint a window
And a door
I wonder what it is like
To be everything you want
That is the adventure we will make
Polish our noses
Put bows on our toesies
Come on little cricket
We step forward
Take a breath
Enter our door.
How dexterous you are playing with words Jae. You are quite a master at a rolling them out and reeling them in. There is so much to amuse us in your writing but in the end there is the sadness and that breath is taken which is so much like a sigh.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you for your dexterous and thoughtful comment Old Egg - much appreciated
DeleteWe were always in between people
ReplyDeleteNever quite us
Sigh..such a gorgeous piece of work Jae, and I can strongly resonate with these lines. So often it is that the world comes between two people who are bound by fate. We never quite manage to be ourselves while battling the odds. Nevertheless, the bond always shines bright through and through. Beautifully penned.
Thank you so much for participating at Prompt Nights and for your constant love and support.
Lots of love,
Sanaa
Thank you Sanaa - yes fate can play a part in our place in the world and amongst people..a tricky one to figure out - and another great prompt thank you
DeleteYou're most welcome Jae :D
Delete"I wonder what it is like To be everything you want That is the adventure we will make"... and the last words... " We step forward Take a breath Enter our door."
ReplyDeleteAh, what more to do than just go ahead, one step at a time, that is the adventure.
I think in the end it is exactly that - thank you very much george ...
DeleteI always read your poems aloud. There is such music to your words... to the way you weave dialogue into your lines, seamlessly and undeniable there. Just beautiful. Poetic.
ReplyDeleteThank you Magaly - i am glad there is music...we speak to ourselves - maybe in this instance its not entirely because we are bananas ;)
DeleteThe tea petals settle
ReplyDeleteOn the lip of the cup
Like kisses
Beautiful
Thank you Rallentanda - tea is a good thing ☕️
DeleteA wonderful, surreal poetic narrative. So richly intense with sharp images. Love the line:
ReplyDelete'Time bends spoons on the moon'...
So powerful, so dramatic.
Thank you very much Gemma
DeleteI love what you do with words, though there is always that burning feeling when I read them. The chore of this is:
ReplyDeleteI wonder what it is like
To be everything you want
and around it your lines tumbles with want. Thank you for sharing.
Yes - wanting is a chore - especially when you know all the wanting and trying in the world won't make it so - thank you Bjorn
Deletewonder what it is like..to be everything you want.. more a wall..less a door.. such exquisite lines!
ReplyDeleteThank you most exquisitely thotpurge
DeleteI like the lines about being between people, never quite us! I can picture that. Always good to contemplate your words on a Sunday morning, Jae.
ReplyDeleteThank you for commenting and contemplating - and a very peaceful Sunday back to you
DeleteIt is not often we are worsted
ReplyDeleteFleeced
Finished
Fucked
And thank goodness for the "not often" part!
That's the tag - thank you Magical - and apologies for the sailor mouth ;)
DeleteDoorways often offer unexpected adventures....even painted doorways. And if we create the windows, we can see what we want. We create the scene, as we create our own lives....we see what others fail to see, what your poems are full of!
ReplyDeleteThank you Annell - this is a window of a comment - thank you for seeing through our window.. in many ways xo
DeleteI feel a sense of fear here...not wanting to step through that door....but what we lose when we don't try...thanks for the reminder Jae Rose!
ReplyDeleteDonna@LivingFromHappiness
Always fear but you're right sometimes we have to be brave and turn that door handle - thank you Donna
DeleteThis is spectacular, Jae Rose. One of your finest. I adore it: especially the tea petals on the lip of the cup like kisses, time bends spoons on the moon, and hanging the last cloth as if it is the holy grail. Love the painting of the door, then mustering one's resolve to go through...........maybe on the other side is finding "being everything you want". I do hope so. I feel a searching journey going on in your poems, week after week, Jae Rose. And we are all cheering you on.
ReplyDeleteAnd for that I am very thankful - we wouldn't even get to the door without a little encouragement - thank you very much Sherry - for your kindness and being part of the journey which has yet to reveal itself to us but I hope is there xo
DeleteGee, I wonder how many can say they are everything they want and I wonder how many are still waiting for the right door to open? How many have fallen into that rabbit hole of wonder seeking answers to so many question.
ReplyDeleteLots and lots and lots of us - on both counts...how very dull it may be if we knew the answer and didn't fall down the occasional rabbit hole.. thank you kindly Truedessa
Delete'time bends spoons on the moon'. Love that.
ReplyDeleteAlways the tenderness, always the hope; the act of writing the poems in itself an assertion of the positive. Blessings on the adventure!
Thank you Rosemary - yes writing even about blue things is a positive...better out than in!
DeleteReally like the journey your words take, from almost sublime, to coarse and then back to philosophical. Do we ever become everything we want, or is that the reason that keeps us opening those doors and crossing those thresholds?
ReplyDeleteElizabeth
Thank you Elizabeth - i think we always dip a toe in the ridiculous also ;) i guess that is life - working and trying to be the best you can be - although maybe the occasional day off eating cake and drinking tea is needed on any journey
Delete"We paint a window / And a door"...i could touch the despair, sadness and the yearning for freedom in the lines...may be like the passion a sculptor feels to release his subject from a piece of stone or a poet his words...
ReplyDeleteThank you Sumana - a bit like problem solving in dreams - drawing your way out perhaps...in reality it's harder to make windows and doors where they don't exist..words and pictures help
DeleteThe chaos that is thrill to those behind the scenes. I bet the final performance was exhilarating :D XXX
ReplyDeleteWe do rustle up a bit of chaos thank you Gina - exhilarating or hair-raising.. i'm never sure
Delete"I wonder what it is like
ReplyDeleteTo be everything you want"
It definitely will be like a beautiful dream coming true!
Who doesn't want it?
Absolutely - for a moment (or even longer) it would be very nice - thank you PT
DeleteI wonder what it is like
ReplyDeleteTo be everything you want
That is the adventure we will make
These lines strike me much, and makes me contemplate the title "Us". Quite beautiful. I did not expect to be led to these lines after reading the opening couplet. :)
Thank you Vinay - I am glad you liked the title and the course of the words - much appreciated :)
Delete'time bends spoons on the moon'. LOVE THIS!
ReplyDeleteAnd...
'The tea petals settle
On the lip of the cup
Like kisses.'Oh, how romantic!! The Story of Tea takes one on a fascinating journey ...:) Lovely poem, Jae!
I suspect many a cup of tea has witnessed some curious stories - thank you kindly Panchali
Deletei liked what you write about painting a door and a window on the last piece of cloth. i have this feeling that the narrator is trying to free herself. :)
ReplyDeleteNot very successfully - but trying - thank you ds :)
DeleteLove your writing style, there's something musical about it but also how you capture images so vividly. "I wonder what it is like...To be everything you want", all I can say, is wow!♥
ReplyDeleteAnd we say thank you very much Khaya 😊🎀😊
DeleteCompletely captivating, and I'm so impressed by your ability to retain the 'voice' in these pieces week and week. That's difficult.
ReplyDeleteThank you Marilyn - I hadn't even considered the 'voice' - sometimes I wish my head were quiet though! It gets too busy up there..Thank you kindly
DeleteYes, we must go through that door to enter freedom. Time helps to bend those spoons on the moon and within us. As always lovely writing Jae. This one gives me a melancholy feel with a resignation to make some changes, to risk going through what one must. Always enjoy reading your imaginative and sensitive poetry.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you for another supportive and considerate comment Myrna - very much appreciated
DeleteAh, it's wonderful to paint a door to every destination we want...and how hard it is...but not impossible, at least we have something to live for , to hope for, to search for...hugs and warm wishes as always xox
ReplyDeleteYes without wishes the world would be very dark indeed - so a big thank you and hugs and wishes back to you humbird xo
DeleteLove!
ReplyDelete(I once had a friend named Cricket!) Love:
I wonder what it is like
To be everything you want
That is the adventure we will make ..."
And love the kiss, petals and penny that may return i life as they do in the poem, while these two take action of their own. Wow!
Thank you Susan! And how wonderful to have had a (real) friend named Cricket - I bet they were always a good guide
DeleteReally wonderful this one, enjoyed it so much. Much to contemplate,,
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Linda - I am glad you enjoyed
DeleteWe step forward
ReplyDeleteTake a breath
Enter our door
One has to take a stand and progress forward. In the process one makes lots of discoveries even mistakes. But one must take the first step forward! Truly said Jae!
Hank
Oh yes - lot of mistakes! Thank you very much Hank
DeleteWe were always in between people
ReplyDeleteNever quite us
I relate this line so much, bloody brilliant work
mindlovemisery
I hear you - hard to become when you're not even there...thank you for your bloody brilliant comment Amber
DeleteIt feels as though a very passionate love affair is trying to be restrained in some manner, but the lovers are capable of bursting through the limits being set.
ReplyDelete