Not Bird (55)
Not Bird
I swung into the early
of my life, pumping the vine-veins
of its woods with sweat-salted limbs
that could rewind,
I thought, warped
arcs–
Swallows swoop
to rise,
but what humans swallow,
they tend
to keep down.
Too much of my flight
a fleeing,
soars sorry, fleeting–you
not there–
nor me hardly–
*****************************
A 55 word poem of sorts influenced by Dante Alighieri, poet of The Divine Comedy, for Kerry O’ Connor’s prompt on With Real Toads–
The pic is from the recent Plains Indians exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC ==a ghost dance drum.
Explore posts in the same categories: 55, poetryTags: Dante did it better poem, Flash 55 poem, http://withrealtoads.blogspot.com, manicddaily, not swallow poem, Swung into the early poem
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ManicDDaily 
July 4, 2015 at 6:27 pm
That drum painting is wonderful! And your poem both arresting and haunting.
July 4, 2015 at 8:44 pm
Such an enchanting piece 🙂 Beautifully executed 😀
Lots of love,
Sanaa
July 4, 2015 at 9:34 pm
Such a tender, poignant piece!
July 4, 2015 at 11:10 pm
A fascinating poem k – I love the poem and the image 🙂 x
July 5, 2015 at 12:05 am
Thank you, Polly.
>
July 5, 2015 at 1:14 am
I once married young. Everyone should try that.
Just stay out of jail (prison). We did, tnx to ____?
..
July 5, 2015 at 4:38 am
If we’d just swallow a little less, we might soar out of the darkness… love the swallow stanza
July 5, 2015 at 5:21 am
I love the artefact you have shared with us – it is beautiful.
Your poem is wrought so well, I would not have thought it was constrained by a particular word count. Each stanza offers a whole thought, and the entire piece delves deeply into the human condition under which we all labour.
July 5, 2015 at 7:56 am
You soar and make us swallow, both, in this, k. As Kerry says, each stanza closes a compelling thought, but the last seems to unite them in a way that has the ghostlike spirit of that very evocative artifact within–the ghost dance of a time and a character escaped and only able to be evoked in a ritual of memory and want. Or so I read. Really so much here in so few words.
July 5, 2015 at 7:58 am
what humans swallow,
they tend
to keep down.
Too much of my flight
a fleeing,
This is a truth, at least for me. Wonderful work.
July 5, 2015 at 12:50 pm
Ok, this is now my favorite. Love the word-play, the images and each stanza is better than the one before it.
July 5, 2015 at 3:38 pm
How I love that ghost dance drum. Wow! I need a drum! Loved the poem….especially the swooping swallow stanza.
July 5, 2015 at 5:23 pm
Too much of my flight a fleeing. Oh I can feel some ache in this lovely little piece.
July 5, 2015 at 7:22 pm
Ha. Well we keep down until we have taken all we need from it, then…
I wonder how much any of our lives are consumed with fleeing…
July 5, 2015 at 10:54 pm
I just love this! That second stanza is so cool.
July 6, 2015 at 3:57 am
Wonderfully true and I am quite charmed by the drum. A lovely post, k. Hope all is well in your world today.
J.
July 6, 2015 at 9:40 am
Thanks, Jamie. I am okay. A little tired as we have had a couple of big events in our family lately. k.
July 6, 2015 at 9:48 am
I hope they were all happy events, k.
July 6, 2015 at 10:39 am
Yes! My daughter’s wedding, which was at our house upstate! That was really the main event, but it corresponded with more extended visits from family members that have also been events in a way. Thanks. k.
On Mon, Jul 6, 2015 at 10:48 AM, ManicDDaily wrote:
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July 8, 2015 at 1:05 am
Love the photo. We begin life thinking nothing will pluck our wings, but life proves us wrong. I hope the events were happy ones.
July 19, 2015 at 5:54 pm
Love
July 19, 2015 at 9:53 pm
I thought I had commented before, but perhaps not – the ‘soars sorry’ captures my fancy ~