She crunches her apple
It has been a long time
Sometimes yesterday
Almost tomorrow
She is wishing inside
Quietly parked in my arms
Happy
I think
Composed
She corrects
Her hair is shiny
Dress
Clean pressed and fresh
It was good they caught you
She whispers
Holding my hand
If they hadn’t
We wouldn’t be able to play any more
Quick sticks
No time to lose
Our sins and thrills
Have tolled and rolled
Fallen like timber
Instilled in our soul
We have to make things right
She trills
I am scared of falling Alice
Then don’t
She says
All falls start with one bad step
I think of the man
Of being stuck
In the bottle of glue
Contained
Trapped
She corrects
We watch the clouds
Dreaming past the telephone pole
In the lines are forgotten shouts
Irascible destinations
Cards laid out
Installed
Enabled
We are given to magic and stars
Twelve small stones
Mixed in a bowl of fireflies and mint
Poesy
Prophesy
Fable
There may not be home or even a rainbow
But the end always lies in the palm of our hand.
Whistles!! Gosh Jae, this is absolutely gorgeous writing :D I was so enthralled while reading especially bits and parts where Alice corrects and rephrases. Also, the closing lines perfectly sum up the entire poem and leave such a huge impact. Beautifully rendered. Thank you so much for participating at Prompt Nights and for your constant love and support :D :D
ReplyDeleteLots of love,
Sanaa
Thank you too Sanaa - it's good to be back at prompt nights :)
DeleteLove the magic and ambiguity of the last two lines. Depending on how we read them, they can speak of tragedy to come or of hope--nothing has been truly decided, it seems. So it is their choice to follow Fate or to just do... live... be...
ReplyDeleteSo good to read your magical words and hear your feedback - thank you Magaly - I hope I hope the latter.. Thank you ❤️
DeleteWelcome back to the real world Jae. So glad to find you writing again and Alice spouting her underground wisdom. The stanza that really touched me was "We watch the clouds..." absolutely beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you Old Egg - very good to be back and watching the clouds with our friends
DeleteI like how the last two lines could be taken a few different ways, some completely opposite from each other. I hope that whatever the cards say, the protagonist will use the knowledge to make the most of the hand they drew.
ReplyDeleteThank you Rommy - we hope that she does that too..
Delete"Mixed in a bowl of fireflies and mint" the line's so beautiful that i was quite lost in it & didn't want to come out of the bowl and read further...o my...so lovely...the end line's just perfect, apt for the prompt; the palm of the hand speaks volumes for me; independent line of action or depending on the stars etc......
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Sumana - it was a nice thought that sprang to mind - i think it would be bright and fresh :)
DeleteSometimes I find Alice a little sinister.
ReplyDeleteThese lines really sparkled for me today:
We are given to magic and stars
Twelve small stones
Mixed in a bowl of fireflies and mint
Me too! I am glad you found some sparkle today - thank you very much Kerry
DeleteAlice seems to have become a little more assertive during your and my recent absence. I wonder if she's been talking to Rosey....
ReplyDeleteVisit Keith's Ramblings
I think she's been singing with Rosey - let's hope the enthusiasm lasts - thank you Keith and good to see you!
DeleteThe lines that really caught me were:
ReplyDeleteI am scared of falling Alice
Then don’t
She says
Love the matter of factness of it. Then don't. Easy.
Thank you J Cosmo - we are hoping the practical test is as easy as the theory
DeleteYes,all falls start with one bad step. We all have to find a way to walk a bit gingerly through life to prevent those disabling falls! Waving to you, Jae....I had spent a couple weeks on YOUR side of the 'big pond.' Smiles.
ReplyDeleteThank you Mary - yes our minds can cause the biggest potholes and disabling falls - I am glad you spent some time on this side of the pond.. It's nice to think of you on the same shores.. :)
DeleteI have worked toward not being afraid of falling Alice...sometimes you can't control...you just have to find a way to enjoy the ride.
ReplyDeleteThank you spirit.. That's wise to learn..as long as the landings are happy - thank you from j and Alice
DeleteO! I can't help thinking this poem explains why I haven't seen you for awhile--but, enough of that! Here are my favorite lines:
ReplyDelete"Almost tomorrow
She is wishing inside
Quietly parked in my arms
Happy
I think
Composed
She corrects"
and
"It was good they caught you
She whispers
Holding my hand
If they hadn’t
We wouldn’t be able to play any more"
and, of course, the possibility of magic and fable.
We had a little sabbatical - one day we will work up to a holiday that doesn't involve hospitals ;) thank you Susan - the possibility of magic and fable seems
Deletelike the very best medicine.. And we are glad to see you too!
I must say there is synchronicity today as Robin, you and I have mentioned fireflies. The universe is speaking today and we should listen to the gift of light.
ReplyDeleteThis part jumps out at me, as we are all afraid of falling in the journey, but we will at some point. It might leave a small scrape or perhaps it will require mending and leave a scar. But, through these falls we learn to stand.
I am scared of falling Alice
Then don’t
She says
All falls start with one bad step
The universe sometimes seems to shine and come together - also synchronicity in your comment since my legs were in some way mended a little.. We hope it will help keep our feet on the ground a little more - thank you kindly Truedessa and many fireflies back to you
DeleteBrilliant!!!! I love it!
ReplyDeleteThank you so Annell ❤️
DeleteLove where this takes me and there is want for more. The 12 stones what more can they tell us?..,bkm
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure..but I hope it will be a good adventure finding out ;) thank you very much bkm...
DeleteAlways look forward to coming here Jae... Such fresh and musical work, with real depth too... Delightful! With Best Wishes Scott
ReplyDeleteThank you Scott - much appreciated
DeleteThere are so many wonderful images and echoes in this poem that really stick with me. That last line reminds me of William Blake's great line about holding eternity in the palm of your hand. Great job on this one.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Matthew - especially for lighting up the William Blake thought I shall seek it out...thank you
DeleteWOW!!!! My new favourite of your poems. So wise, the power that lies in the palm of our hand, so beautiful, "we are given to magic and stars," and the following lines. I sense wisdom, peace and hope in these words.
ReplyDeleteI do so hope we can keep our hands safe and hold onto that sense - thank you as always Sherry - we are also lucky to have some very strong hands to help us along the way xo
DeleteFirst of all, so glad to see you back!
ReplyDeleteThen..."all falls start with one bad step"...
So, my dear Jae, even if you take a bad step, may you never fall. Ever. Ever.
And very good to be back thank you for the prompts Magical - and the wish.. Alice asks what will we write about now..hmm.. I guess she only fell once.. So maybe she knows how to stop falling - Thank you most kindly Magical
DeleteOne wants to read this a number of times; first seeking particular meanings and then to enjoy the many individual lines and sections containing special sparkle.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much colonialist.. i am glad there are some special sparkles
DeleteWelcome back Jae. And with a wow! Imagine Alice afraid of falling. That for me is a little bit of innocence lost
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping in at my Sunday Lime
Much love...
What a wonderful insight - thank you Gillena
DeleteSome wonderful images in this. "We are given to magic and stars Twelve small stones Mixed in a bowl of fireflies and mint": MARVELous. And I really liked the close on this piece.
ReplyDeleteThank you most MARVEL-ously Wendy :-)
DeleteWelcome back.I was worried it was a hospital chapter.
ReplyDeleteA lovely poem... beautiful images with philosophical touches.In the end your destiny is in your hands Rall says with gravitas, barely able to drag her sybaritic self out of the comfort zone of her warm sheets LOL ...Jeez I hate winter !
We love sybaritic - and thank you for the welcome back Rallentanda - at least this time it wasn't the head hospital - we appreciate your wisdom, gravitas and giggles all at once - thank you and hope it warms up
DeleteThere is so much tension here, it seems like an escape, but a return, whether wanted or designed. The way you wrapped it up is so beautiful as well, what is home, what is our destination if not ourselves.
ReplyDeleteAnd what a wonderfully wrapped up comment - thank you Luk Lei
DeleteA moment of quiet contemplation as you are fascinated by the companionship of childlike innocence. Beautiful calmness in this piece XXX
ReplyDeleteThank you Gina - not often we are calm - we were glad for the moment too
DeleteLuv how the title of your poem fits comfortably into the first stanza
ReplyDeleteMuch love...
Thank you Gillena :)
DeleteThere may not be home or even a rainbow
ReplyDeleteBut the end always lies in the palm of our hand.
It entirely depends on us.It is whether to act and react or not. Hesitations will make a small matter seems to be big more so problems! Great ending Jae!
Hank
So very true Hank - thank you and I like that we have the connection of rainbows in our blogs!
DeleteI'm not sure what happened, but I went for the ride. The apple is already a prophesy and a falling Alice ties in well. Maybe cats? Love the ending stanza.
ReplyDeleteWe often feel that way too - I blame the cats ..perfidious little critters ;) thank you Colleen
Deletefirst, i like the title. i like anything with the word 'prophesy'.
ReplyDeletethen i feel that your poem is rather philosophical today, with images of one bad step & the man stuck in a bottle of glue.
and then i just love 'the clouds dreaming past the telephone pole' and 'forgotten shouts in the lines'. coming from the telephony industry, these really are unforgettable images for me. :)
Thank you very much ds - i am glad you liked the telephone pole - it's good unraveling what's inside all the landmarks that surround us :)
Deleteit's good that it got into your poem. :)
Delete:-)
Delete