Poetry
(Swans - October 22, 2012)
The telephone rang beside my books;
I picked it up.
"Start walking," she said,
hanging up her phone.
In which direction? I asked myself,
but headed west,
past the school,
the playground,
the bent tree,
the old bridge,
over the stream in rickety walk,
every breath turning to smoke,
every breath deeper and deeper;
into the grove,
left into sunset,
to the place of the seven sycamores,
as I glimpsed her gown in the mist.
Angel, fairy, snowfall, dew -
all these was she,
she who walked with the billows,
silent, beautiful, a lotus transfigured,
the light of the forest upon her face,
such delicate lace upon the moss!
Floating, mysterious,
My princess of the wisp,
where are you now?
In some dark tower
or entwined with roses upon the meath?
Alone in the twilight I imagined her running,
with sun and wind and moon,
dandelion queen,
and love forever lost.
If you find John Marshall's work valuable, please consider helping us
Legalese
Feel free to insert a link to this work on your Web site or to disseminate its URL on your favorite lists, quoting the first paragraph or providing a summary. However, DO NOT steal, scavenge, or repost this work on the Web or any electronic media. Inlining, mirroring, and framing are expressly prohibited. Pulp re-publishing is welcome -- please contact the publisher. This material is copyrighted, © John M. Marshall 2012. All rights reserved.
Have your say
Do you wish to share your opinion? We invite your comments. E-mail the Editor. Please include your full name, address and phone number (the city, state/country where you reside is paramount information). When/if we publish your opinion we will only include your name, city, state, and country.
About the Author
John M. Marshall is the founder and editor of Epiphany Arts, Cape Fear Poetry Society, and various poetry sites. He has received several writing awards. His poetry has been published in the U.S. (including Swans) and seven other countries. He recently had song lyrics performed at the Irish Embassy in Bulgaria. Marshall lives in Wilmington, North Carolina. (back)