Aspire
by Matthew Quinn
The char of my hand
reaches up
through a bubbling, red sun
into black space
because another star
beckons,
adorned for the moment
with solar flare wings.
Drawn
into a fresh inferno
and subsumed,
I surrender to its agony.
Let me wander
from one flame to the next,
no thought but to burn
with a brighter fire.
Wow, I love this. "The char of my hand" is such a wonderfully evocative phrase to begin with.
ReplyDeleteI love the metaphorical implications here. My take is jumping from one failed possibility/passion to an unknown future potential. So much like what all of life really is. A masterpiece here in very few words and an excellent poetic take on the prompt.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I prodded you into entering the contest Matt!
nicely written
ReplyDeleteGreat poem, invokes really nice imagery.
ReplyDeleteSo much possibility and promise in this. Lovely!
ReplyDeleteI'm really not great with poetry, but this was dead on a reflection of that photo. :) Really loved seeing the two mixed. :)
ReplyDeleteWow. Beautiful, and most especially your last two lines.
ReplyDeleteIt's great to see a poem in the mix!
The last two lines are what really made it for me.
ReplyDeleteNice poetic take on the prompt, you made it work.
ReplyDeleteDottie :)
We are all wanderers. This piece touches the soul - love the imagery and the economy of words. Beautiful! ~Jana A
ReplyDeleteOh wow. I love the imageries - "solar flare wings", "bubbling red sun" - I'm really in awe! Thank you, take care
ReplyDeletex
The final stanza is my absolute favorite. Were it not for the narrative requirement, I'd even suggest that the final stanza could stand on its own.
ReplyDeleteGlad to read some poetry today - thanks!
The title frames the whole thing. When I read it, my thought was insatiable greed, but the title brings it back to a more noble context. Nice poem, no extra words, visually appealing.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful imagery. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteReally enjoyed your poem. So very reflective of the prompt picture.
ReplyDeleteMatthew - at last a poetic entry. Your imagery is clear and evocative. Your words are few but carefully chosen. As has been said before your final two lines are a perfect ending. Always end on hope!
ReplyDeleteWell done.
I'm with Jazz. The last two lines were really awesome and deliver so much to think about just on their own.
ReplyDeleteI too am glad to read poetry here.
Thanks all for the encouraging comments! Much appreciated!
ReplyDeleteI feel the cosmos in this one. Not only in the scope, but also in the mind of this speaker.
ReplyDeleteMy judging does not reflect the quality of the poem at all. I didn't sense narrative movement, so I couldn't score it against the other entries.