Friday, August 25, 2006

Entry #32

Lamentation
by K. Lawson Gilbert


Someone said it was
time to go. I was loathe
to leave the whispers behind.
We traveled huddled together,
a knot of professional mourners,
with pasty masks covering
our suntanned faces.

“Listen” broke our stride,
and we stopped on our path
in the middle of our thoughts.

Galloping out of nowhere
a troop of tumblers arrived
for our entertainment and distraction.
How could we have torn our cheeks
and gnashed our teeth, when we were
much amused by apparitions of acrobats,
who were able to leap and rise above
the curtain of our false grief?

Like ghosts always do, one by one,
they jumped and somersaulted into
the thin air around us, until we could
no longer sense their presence.

Again, someone said it was time to go.
In unison, we adjusted our false faces,
shuffled in step, slumped our shoulders,
and hung our heads. Under the tapestry
covered, lonely moon - we had to get back
to the things of death.


[K. Lawson Gilbert is a poet and a teacher. She is a member of the Dietrich Poets and Writers Group in the Endless Mountains region of Pennsylvania.]

24 comments:

Bernita said...

Intriguing and different.
Thank you.

anne frasier said...

that was beautiful, k.

so many lovely lines. i particularly liked this:

"who were able to leap and rise above
the curtain of our false grief?"

Joni said...

Wow. My mind is grappling to get a hold of it all, and failing slightly. Melodic and enchanting. Thanks for this.

anna said...

A wonderful start that justs gets better and better.
Such a wonderful mood
matches the photo completely
Enjoyed hugely!

Anonymous said...

Bernita, thanks for your interest & comment. I admire your work, too.

Anne, You are such an eloquent writer, that when you comment that my work is beautiful...I feel so honored. Thank you.

Joni, I appreciate your kind words.
I love it when other writers find my work enchanting.

Anna, appreciated words indeed, coming from a talented poet, such as yourself. Blessings.

Scott said...

This piece elicits such images in my mind. I'm trying to make sense of it. Is it the world we know, the afterlife, a dream, or something else? A nice little mystery. Quite provocative.

Robert Ball said...

Such a view of death and mourning. Intense and thoughtful, great poem.

Anonymous said...

I liked this - the magic and mysticism of it, yet the cynical nature of the principle characters.

Anonymous said...

What a well written poem. I enjoyed it intensely, so much, I read it three times.

Lisa Jordan said...

Haunting. Eloquent. I love the way the words flowed. Very nice.

Anonymous said...

Scott, that's what I love about poetry. Its interpretation is left to the reader. Thank you.

Robert Ball, appreciate your interest and comments. Was hoping that this poem would be intense.

Jim, thanks for your interest. I love the way you see things.

Robert Rohloff, well thank you so much for your enthusiasm and your kind words.

Lisa, aprreciate your comments. Haunting and eloquent is exactly what I was going for.

Aleah Sato said...

Lovely.

Unknown said...

This was breathtaking!

Anonymous said...

You truly visualize things for what they are, and you are able to
draw up the reality of the character(s). My theory is that your character felt guilt.
I love reading your work.

Anonymous said...

I'm still turning this poem in my mind with each visit to the contest site. While I am processing, this is my favorite line: "...we adjusted our false faces,shuffled in step, slumped our shoulders,and hung our heads..."

Anonymous said...

I have enjoyed everyone's entries. You are all talented writers.

Aleah, thank you so much.

Shadowrite, I appreciate your comment.

Linda, I am so honored by your words. Thanks.

Fringes, yes, you can call me K.L. if you want - or just "K." is fine. ;~}
Thanks for the kind comments. I am glad you have enjoyed my little entry and deem it worthy of thought.

Rich, I am happy that you like the poem. Poetry is an aquired taste...it's not for everyone. Thanks for your interest.

Anonymous said...

"we had to get back to the things of death". You certainly have a way with words. Good writing.

Anonymous said...

Bofire, thanks a bunch for reading and commenting. It pleases me to know that my chosen words have been effective. ;~}

Anonymous said...

This gets better and better with each reading. I like it!

Flood said...

I dunno much about poetry, either, but I know what feels right and this did:
...when we were
much amused by apparitions of acrobats,
who were able to leap and rise above
the curtain of our false grief?


I enjoyed this.

Anonymous said...

Nicholas, I am happy that you were able to read it over again. Sometimes, with poetry, you need time away from it, then a re-read before it sinks in. Thanks for taking the time.

Flood, you seem to have a good eye for others' work and write well yourself, so I appreciate your opinion. Thanks for commenting.

Anonymous said...

An amazing poem...such interesting word-pictures...a fascinating study, about which I hope to learn more...

Anonymous said...

Sue, your words mean so much to me...and I know you mean them. Thank you for your continued support of my work. <3

Anonymous said...

This interaction was curious and powerful. I feel that there is much here to find as you dig deeper. High marks for pacing and technical use of language.