We lie in the river bed
Arms tangled
Weaving in and out of each others skin
It is warm
The water sweet as acid
We listen to our breath
Like a small burn grazing our lips
It rolls fast and slow
Our bed is a thick layer of moss
It is green
Soft and calm
Thick enough to absorb our dreams
A safe place that cannot be tampered with
Funny she says
The world outside is bigger than the white room
The sky reaches on for miles
A cool breeze lifts our hair
Hides our eyes
The air seems endless and empty
We listen intently
As if messages will fall into our ears
Stick together like leaves gathering in a puddle
Everything feels like a blur
An act we don't quite know
We burrow into each other
Dizzy and intoxicated
Wondering if the hail will scratch our skin
Hack beautiful little lines into our flesh
Nature's justice
Perhaps this will be the final time we speak
Never she declares
There are far too many stories to tell.
I loved how you wrote this Jae with your most descriptive words painting the scene so well. Most telling is the sentence "The world outside is bigger than the white room" finding how beautiful the world really is now with so much more to do.
ReplyDeleteYour poem is beautiful, Jae, full of reflection. I love the lines:
ReplyDelete‘Our bed is a thick layer of moss
It is green
Soft and calm
Thick enough to absorb our dreams
A safe place that cannot be tampered with’
and the realisation that ‘The world outside is bigger than the white room’. It is important to ‘Stick together like leaves gathering in a puddle’.
I love the darkly beautiful imagery here and how it helps to reinforce the solace they find in each other. The last three lines especially move me. There will always be magic to be shared, even (especially!) in the hard places.
ReplyDeleteWonderfully conjured Jae - such a rich picture you paint that rings so true... As if I was there too - great, honest writing that sparkles so...
ReplyDeleteYour bed in the river on soft moss reminds me oh Waterton's painting of Ophelia. I love that it is a safe place that will absorb your dreams, and that the world is now bigger than the white room. Yes, it is, and it is full of natural wonders. A lovely poem to read and envision.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of bedding "Thick enough to absorb... dreams". I wonder if they stick to the material like stories to paper. So, that one can reread the good ones and keep the not-so awesome ones away when one wishes.
ReplyDeleteThis feels like the entire river, bed, bank, and water, all talking to itself (or among itselves), creating wonderful images out of the shifting awareness.
ReplyDeleteWe both ended up in the river---how cool is that! I'm sure your listening intently will pay off. I know for a fact that messages will fall into your ears--and they will be notes of love and grace.
ReplyDeleteThere is sensuality as well as wide-eyed wonder in this writing. Richly done!
ReplyDeleteToo many stories always... but that is a beautiful thing
ReplyDeletei think lying on a bed of moss is beautiful...i've never tried it but i can picture it as something magical. nice write.
ReplyDelete'We listen intently
ReplyDeleteAs if messages will fall into our ears'
… I have been there, in the green.
A river bed is better than a white room. A richly coloured room of your own making is better than lying in the river bed being hacked by hail.Nature has its place but we can make a more comfortable one and I have no idea what I am talking about ( as usual: )
ReplyDelete'The water sweet as acid' is so startling and ominous, it coloured the whole poem for me. And the breath 'Like a small burn grazing our lips' did nothing to dispel that. So I am not too sure about the 'safe place' ... but I am glad you plan to go on telling the stories.
ReplyDelete