I, being old and
frail,
And at death’s
elbow,
Greeted the bedside
clock
For its surprising
news
That those warm depths
of sleep
I’d left behind,
had still
Long hours to run. With
blissful
Lack of care I
pulled the
Bed clothes up for
comfort,
Lost head and face in
new oblivion
From softness into softness, an unexpected gift!
For age can never guarantee that, eyes now closed
Will bring the healing dark that shuts away the strains
Of living out decreptitude.
One yearns for certainties: The childhood cot,
That insulates us from adult’s grim tasks;
The bottle brought to us is never earned.
And we may burble for the aid that’s close to hand.
There’s more to come, but not, alas, from me.
I was waylaid and felt th’old devil’s urge
To catch the trope; to write, as is my tendency,
Nouns from verbs while softness waits another day.
Confession: I just couldn't leave it in its tatterdemalion state
Nice.
ReplyDeleteI hope you’ll be flattered knowing that this led me to an AI brief on the differences between Old English and Shakespearean English (Early Modern, “understandable with some effort”).
ReplyDeleteBeing verse, your poetry shares that added layer of challenge, but I’d have to rate your use as Modern Shakespearean. More decipherable to me. You’ve established a delightfully pulsing rhythm. Reminds me of a pendulum, but “swinging”, with its latter day musical connotations, seemed inappropriate. I absolutely love “th’old” leading into the last, less universal stanza. What word do I grasp for here? Personal?
Sleep is respite for sure, and few things match one’s resignation to what I’ve had called the netherworld, prior to consulting a dictionary. When surrender means victory over a day.
I’m unsure why the opening is italicized.
MikeM: My caring duties last from 7 am to about midnight, and I go to bed nearly always exhausted. I used to sleep well but not now. On this occasion I woke at about 5 am in a completely pleasing, drugged state. Sensuous or sensual if you prefer. These feelings were so strong they triggered a strong urge to capture them, even though I also wanted to take advantage of sleep's availability. Bits of the verse were writing themselves so I gave in. Re-reading it isn't a quarter as good as I thought but - just for once - I am refusing to tinker. The experience was unique. First part in itals to provide background
ReplyDelete