Sunday, May 17, 2009

Nothing

This little thing’s been somehow inspired by Karen’s “Ain’t Got No” and “The House of the Poet", although she's definitely got it and I'm looking for it... :-)

This is not a forget-me-not, but I liked this blue flower growing out of nowhere on a white beach in Mexico, last summer...


nobody comes
to this barren county,
no flash flood fingers
patter these deep canyons,
no rain drops
kiss this dust.
wary weary birds
take detours
over greener landscapes,
the sky is a cobweb
in the corner of
a condemned room.
the groundskeeper is
almost dead,
unpaid,
very sad;
he’s still rummaging
for his blue flower,
his forgotten forget-me-not,
somewhere among the rocks
of his life,
somewhere among the debris
of his time.
he can’t even compose
a damn’ travel guide.

17 comments:

Charles Gramlich said...

austere and lovely.

Aniket Thakkar said...

Its amazing to see how wonderful poems so full of life could be crafted over 'nothingness'.

I love you almost poetry. :)

Catherine Vibert said...

No, you have it too Vesper. I love the haunting empty feeling this conveys. The end is funny.

the walking man said...

It is hard to have had that one singular perfect moment early on in the journey. Harder still when trying to go back and find out what it was that made it so right a spot in time.

This piece is just wonderfully done Vesper...may your perfect moment always be ahead and may the ones that will allow you to recognize it be only slight in their imperfection.

BernardL said...

Your blue flower stands out well in this bleak illustrative piece.

'the sky is a cobweb
in the corner of
a condemned room'. Nicely done.

Anonymous said...

The traveler may get the itch to travel again.

L.A. Mitchell said...

his forgotten forget-me-not

love the contrast of this line. Sad with a dash of crusty humor.

Thanks so much for sharing :)

K.Lawson Gilbert said...

But, yet, it is in the searching for our little blue flowers that we find all that life has to offer; and it is from those findings, meager as they may seem, that our compositions come.

This is one on my favorite renderings of your to date. Profound in its succinctness, rich in literary form and significance. Really, really good!

Karen said...

I have to say, Vesper, that you have created a beauty from your search. You certainly "have" it - even if your groundskeeper seems to think he can't compose the guide. Here are a few of the many, many lines that strike me. These are really gorgeouss language:

"no flash flood fingers
patter these deep canyons," and

"wary weary birds
take detours
over greener landscapes," and

"he's still rummaging
for his blue flower,
his forgotten forget-me-not,
somewhere among the rocks
of his life,"

You, my friend, can compose anything, and you prove it time and again.

Vesper said...

Thank you, Charles. :-)

Aniquez, so nothing-ness could bring something. I had that feeling when I wrote this. Thank you. :-)

Oh, Cat, thank you so much. :-)

Mark, you’re so kind. Thank you, as always, for your encouragement. May we all find perfect moments ahead of us. :-)

Bernard, I’m glad you liked it. Thank you. :-)

Hopefully, Jason… :-)

And I thank you, L.A., for your kind appreciation. :-)

Kaye, I see this blue flower as our eternal quest and eternal regret. I thank you humbly for your praise.

Karen, what can I say… I had to mention your name because I admire your poems so much and because it happened that you wrote these two at a time, for me, when their meaning resonated deep in my reality. Your praise means enormously to me. Thank you.

Geraldine said...

The barren, austere feeling to these words is so real Vesper. A unique work, I enjoyed reading this. Great photo to accompany too.

Hugs, G

Wanderlust Scarlett said...

*THAT* is fantastic!

I love it! I've been to places in Mexico (and a few other spots) that this poem took me to in the very first few lines.

Excellently done!

Scarlett & Viaggiatore

SzélsőFa said...

I loved it, Vesper.
And came directly from Karen's.

Robyn.K.Y said...

loved the poem.
this is just the kinda blog i needed today.
Drop by sometime

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

karen has it, i agree, but you have it too vesper. i've been reading you for a long time. trust me, you have it too.
thank you for reading my poem and haiku. being your secret admirer, that meant a lot to me. please read the other poems (you'll find the links on the sidebar) and tell me what you think :)

Vesper said...

Thank you for the compliment, Geraldine! :-)
*a big hug*

Thank you so much, Scarlett. I'm very glad you liked it! :-)

SzélsöFa, thank you kindly! :-)

Robyn, welcome to my blog. Thank you for your nice comment and for the invitation. I'll certainly come by. :-)

Little Girl Lost, thank you! I feel very honoured by your words. Your poem and your haiku are very beautiful - it was my pleasure to read them. I'll read the others too. :-)

Chris Eldin said...

This is beautiful, Vesper. Simply beautiful. I especially love the opening lines...