Looking For Blue Sky In Gray (Sonnet)
No chance
I wanted to give her time, a summer’s day,
a perfect green blue day that I would pluck
from my summers to come, that I would lay
upon her bed, and, shimmering, tuck
around her. It should have been an easy offer,
easy to say. After all, the future
can’t be readily assigned; life’s coffer
holds nothing forfeit. Tubes followed suture
to a darkness barely gowned; I searched around
my jangling brain for words, but what came out
were stones that lined her pillow, the sound
not meaning my meaning, and not about
summer days; my own fierce will to live
hoarding what there was no chance to give.
I am posting the above poem (a rewritten version of older sonnet) for dVerse Poets Pub Open Link Night. Check dVerse out for great poetry.
Also, if you have time–and I’m sorry for the abrupt change to comedy here–check out my book of poems GOING ON SOMEWHERE,, for the original of this poem. (Pearl likes it!)
Tags: Going on Somewhere by Karin Gustafson, manicddaily, No Chance, poem about hospital visit, sonnet about losing friend, wishing to give time
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ManicDDaily 
March 6, 2012 at 3:14 pm
Some fun rhyming as I went through, but sad indeed when such a situation arises, not much one can do but watch.
March 6, 2012 at 3:20 pm
Pat–I had a silly rhyming poem that reminded me so much of you–I intended to post it, but didn’t quite get time to polish so held it back to another day. K.
March 6, 2012 at 3:28 pm
Very poignant!
March 6, 2012 at 3:37 pm
what came out were stones that lined her pillow….
love this, really brought home the feeling of this poem.
March 8, 2012 at 12:48 pm
That line resonated with me as well–lovely 🙂
March 6, 2012 at 3:39 pm
so your dog can read..? smiles..love the pic..
there’s much sadness in your poem..can feel the strong wish that things could be changed, look different, also the loss can be felt..a heart touching write k.
March 6, 2012 at 4:03 pm
Beautiful, respectful and sorrowful at the same time. A pleasure to experience such a blending.
March 6, 2012 at 4:14 pm
a poem with touches of melancholy yet uplifting and hopeful. enjoyed the read very much. and loved the picture 🙂
March 6, 2012 at 4:20 pm
Wow, this is an extremely honest write that exposes the darkness in the human soul. Well done.
March 6, 2012 at 4:32 pm
I liked the intensity and longing and loss of this – wonderfully captured.
March 6, 2012 at 5:23 pm
Some things, most things, perhaps, are not in our power to give. A true sense of wanting to, however, usually comes through, as it did here, stones notwithstanding–great volta in this one, K–subtle but sharp as a knife–love your work with this form.
March 6, 2012 at 6:00 pm
all that we want to give if only we could…that def weighs heavy…tucking a warm beautiful day around her…you relize often we do just that by being with…really being with people…
March 6, 2012 at 6:03 pm
An amazing sense of rhythm and those closing lines are just so powerful.
I mean really. Awww now I’m thinking of someone.
March 6, 2012 at 7:21 pm
tubes followed suture to a darkness barely gowned- such an amazing line in this gem of a piece. Excellent job. Thanks
March 6, 2012 at 8:20 pm
The first few lines are magic. Lovely poem!
March 6, 2012 at 10:32 pm
An excellent sonnet. It’s a difficult form to master, but you’ve molded the experience of dying to it and given the sadness-filled meaninglessness of death form in the poem. Form overcoming emptiness, often what words do to make it thru the world. I am sorry for your loss.
March 7, 2012 at 12:48 am
I’m with Chaz – sonnets are difficult, and you did it! As far as content – feels as though what the person wants to give her are beyond his limits. The rocks remind me of the flinty side of manic depression – my husband has little nicks here and there… so much sadness, and yet, a lovely read as well. Amy
March 7, 2012 at 3:09 pm
If only I could give … but of course, there are things beyond our gift. The shame is that we too often fail to offer what we have as a gift to those whom we love most.
Lovely poignant writing. Thank you.
March 8, 2012 at 8:58 am
Thank you, Tony.
March 7, 2012 at 7:00 pm
This is my favorite line, so simple yet so heavy:
“It should have been an easy offer”
March 8, 2012 at 7:40 am
Really beautiful. I especially like:
I searched around
my jangling brain for words, but what came out
were stones that lined her pillow
March 8, 2012 at 8:57 am
Thanks, Laurie.
March 8, 2012 at 8:25 am
‘I searched around
my jangling brain for words, but what came out
were stones that lined her pillow’
How often our good intentions just got astray by the wayside. Your sonnet is perfect K!
Hank
March 8, 2012 at 8:57 am
Thanks so much, Hank.
March 9, 2012 at 2:47 pm
Nice work!
March 10, 2012 at 7:25 pm
Wonderful seniment and expression of your emotions, :).
March 12, 2012 at 6:14 am
Nice write!