We stand on the hillside in summer
The blade glitters faintly
In the cool sway of branches
We turn our head
From a terrible idea
It is unspoken
A deal we had the audacity to control
A wager unbroken
The axe melts the wood
We chop and chip away at the dusty bark
Longing for the sap to trickle down our fingers
It is a melting bite
We are nothing but guests in a dream
A row of terraced houses
A team of roofs
We are aware of every breath
It is granted and probed
A life span
A list of terms
We stand on the hillside in summer.
What a beautiful write, I feel I am in a dream...and the sap is blue.
ReplyDeleteI love this contemplative poem getting the reader to watch as the character ponders what to do about their life thankful that in the end they accept the life they've been given.
ReplyDeleteWe are nothing but guests in a dream......wish I had thought of this line. Great read.
ReplyDeleteIf we are guests, then there must be a host, and we hope that the host is kind and gentle and generous to us. Is that too much to ask?
DeleteFabulous writing..melting bite after bite..
ReplyDeleteOh, it's preferable to have the audacity to control and letting the terrible idea stay unspoken and thus unrealized.
ReplyDeleteThere's this familiar ache in your words. "We are aware of every breath" makes me feel it, and it being a life span makes it even more resonant.
-HA
"A life span
ReplyDeleteA list of terms"
Luv these 2 lines read together. Happy you dropped by my Sunday Standard today Jae
Much🌻love
The lines that jumped out at me are "we turn our heads from a terrible idea" and "we are nothing but guests in a dream. Beautiful, Jae. I love the bark and sap, too.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, this poem makes me think of suicide. the longing to feel the sap trick down our fingers, "we are nothing but guests in a dream"...but in the end there is some hope, I hope.
ReplyDeleteThese are such perfect phrases, one after the other.
ReplyDeleteI am also drawn in by the lines "we turn our heads from a terrible idea".
ReplyDeleteStanding on the hillside in summer - what a beautiful place to be!
ReplyDeleteBlades and bites and axes . . . whoa! But summer invites us into the bark of trees, into their syrups and saps where we learn to stand tall and turn from the bad idea. I love your poetry, but it challenges me right where I hurt.
ReplyDeleteThe speaker of these poems seems to share everything with Alice, indeed they seem to share a consciousness, even to the point that 'We turn our head / From a terrible idea' and share the same 'Longing for the sap to trickle down our fingers'. Their closeness is so touching and the poem beautifully written, Jae.
ReplyDeleteI like the contrast of the two melting images.
ReplyDeleteLove the way that you have bookended this piece with an indelible and layered line: 'We stand on the hillside in summer'.
ReplyDelete"We stand on the hillside in summer"
ReplyDeletethere's something very calming about this poem, despite the mention of blade and axe.
The idea of being "guests in a dream" is both exhilarating and terrifying... a wonder if the host wants us there, a horror if not. I like it.
ReplyDeleteThis aches--beautiful and sad
ReplyDeleteBeautiful poetry, as always.
ReplyDeleteA bit scary ... but for the audacity.