Porch – (Thinking Back To Summer Stones/Winter Tabletops)
"Porch" (painting by Jason Martin, from GOING ON SOMEWHERE)
Porch
The porch pulled them to its side,
invited nestling upon shaded planks,
recalled cool soft times, clover in fields,
the day she cut his hair, and then they picked
out smooth flat stones,
and lined them along its surface, thick with
years of knobby deck paint. Against it,
the stones shone like perfect moons to plant upon
winter table tops, reminders
that nights sown by fireflies
were going on somewhere, some time.
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This is an older poem posted for dVerse Poets Pub Open Link Night and the Promising Poets Rally. The painting is by Jason Martin (and, sorry, the color is a bit garish here.) It is on the cover of my book of poetry, Going on Somewhere, available on Amazon and elsewhere. Check out the book where you can see the painting in much truer color!
PS – if anyone’s counting, I’m going to have to write a new poem today in honor of Nat’l Poetry Month, but wasn’t so pleased with yesterday’s creation, so didn’t want to WASTE an open link nigh on it! Have to see what arises tonight! K.
Explore posts in the same categories: poetryTags: Going on Somewhere by Karin Gustafson Diana Barco Jason Martin, Jason Martin, manicddaily, memories of porch, poem about porch, winter table top
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ManicDDaily 
April 17, 2012 at 12:39 pm
very cool capture k. – i always wanted to live in a house with a porch from the day i saw pippi longstocking for the first time…and then of course with a horse and a monkey and..but that’s another story…smiles…lovely atmosphere with the warmth and the fireflies…nice..
April 17, 2012 at 12:48 pm
Yes, it would be much better with a monkey! Well, a GOOD monkey! k.
April 17, 2012 at 1:16 pm
nice…always summer nights somewhere…i wish front porches were on every house you know…got lots of memories there and chased a few fireflies in my day as well…cool textures with the porch and the stones…
April 17, 2012 at 2:39 pm
A beautiful poem– evocative and rich with detail– hope you’re well, Karin! xxxj http://parolavivace.blogspot.com
April 17, 2012 at 3:19 pm
Thanks, Jeanne. I’m okay.
April 17, 2012 at 3:58 pm
I love this poem ~ I could feel the knock of the wood, the textures &, above all, the realness of the relationship ~ I saw/felt/heard snips of his hair tumbling softly onto the decking ~ & I watched as the fireflies whizzed through the night, ‘somewhere, some time.’ Beautiful!
April 17, 2012 at 4:18 pm
‘stones shone like perfect moons’ great sound and feel in that line.
April 17, 2012 at 4:24 pm
This is really a poem of intimacy–much more than many full of lips and hips and other body parts–there is a closeness, and a warmth that comes from a shared life. Beautiful mood–love the last lines especially. You’ve done some excellent work here getting that across so simply and in so few lines.
April 17, 2012 at 7:07 pm
Thanks so much to all for your kind words. K.
April 17, 2012 at 5:39 pm
I want to watch fireflies from that porch. I love places steeped in memories. Beautiful writing.
April 17, 2012 at 5:49 pm
nights sown by fireflies
Yes, porches are lovely and need to make a comeback!
April 17, 2012 at 5:58 pm
A lovely scene, K. Beautiful poem. Fireflies, porches, flat rocks, the moonlight. It’s all good!
April 17, 2012 at 7:18 pm
Great opening line. Love the image of the inviting porch, and the rest of the poem just unfurls, beautifully so.
Great work here.
April 17, 2012 at 7:29 pm
Thanks so much. K.
April 17, 2012 at 8:37 pm
I like the images you drew from the porch…it looks inviting and warm with memories ~
April 17, 2012 at 9:07 pm
A great capture of words to the image, enjoyed this! ~ Rose
April 17, 2012 at 9:44 pm
This is so tender, so intimate – amazing how you have crafted that emotion with a few stones on a porch. Beautifully written…
April 19, 2012 at 9:56 pm
Hi Zoe–thanks so much. Your comment got sent to spam so didn’t see it. Thanks again. K.
April 17, 2012 at 10:34 pm
I love how you use touchstones to add the layers to the poem – it isn’t just the literal stones that harken to a time of fireflies but the everyday actions which do such a beautiful job of standing in for the major events, the heart of the relationship.
April 17, 2012 at 10:52 pm
Thanks so much, Anna.
April 18, 2012 at 3:00 am
This is a magical poem, taking me with a few words, a few brushstrokes, to a time and place that leaves me silent, serene, and – shall I say it? – happy.
April 18, 2012 at 6:03 am
Thanks so much, Sam.
April 18, 2012 at 3:55 am
Love the images here, especially the fireflies, bringing back my own childhood memories. Evocative write, filled with sensous visuals. Like it much!
April 18, 2012 at 6:04 am
Thanks so much.
April 18, 2012 at 4:49 am
A very evocative write. The imagery teases meaning from the image with truly authentic emotion.
April 18, 2012 at 6:03 am
Thanks, James.
April 18, 2012 at 3:05 pm
Nice poem, and I am so looking forward to those fireflies, only a month or two away.
April 18, 2012 at 6:12 pm
This poem has that transparency and clarity that seems to bring not only self-awareness, but enjoyment at the creation of meaning from such known things made new again.
April 18, 2012 at 6:14 pm
What a kind comment. Thanks so much, Charles.
April 18, 2012 at 6:57 pm
A cool capture, Karin.
April 18, 2012 at 8:37 pm
…the stones shone like perfect moons to plant upon
winter table tops, reminders
that nights sown by fireflies…
t looks so peaceful and pure, K! You did very well to emphasize on the presence of the stones. I could not just see but feel the shine of the moon and the ‘blinking’ of the fireflies. Great write!
Hank
April 19, 2012 at 11:39 am
Lovely poem and painting. The moon is always a great writing prompt. 🙂
April 21, 2012 at 9:59 am
Cool. Definitely a good write! “thick with
years of knobby deck paint.” = great imagery!
April 21, 2012 at 10:02 am
Thanks.
April 24, 2012 at 11:47 am
That was enjoyable…I was looking for my rocker 🙂