1
I turned a deaf ear to the music of the spheres,
Blind to ratio song and measured integers;
Mythic starshine punched big-picture storybooks
Into the sky stained blue-black, like the ink cartridge
That exploded in my mouth when I bit deeply
Into stray thoughts while scribbling third-grade cursive—
Swoops, crosses, and dots blotted, broke, and smeared the will
Of stern instruction patterned on a dull-green blackboard.
2
This winter’s beat went arrhythmic, and I lost count
To rain pattering crystals on the window panes,
To wordless chatter coldly clicking my teeth,
To sun tease-pulsing the thermometer’s mercury,
To stirred birds twittering a false-alarm spring;
This high-strung pizzicato nightmared my daydreams—
Then my fingers fitfully plucked at bedcovers
As the blue moon squeezed through slats of my shuttered room—
Too close for comfort until coppering reddish.
3
I opened the blinds; the moon’s shadow man gazed back,
And my blood tuned to a cello’s sonorous warmth,
Mellowing to that ancient call—the tears of things.
Note to readers: I schedule posts a day ahead. What time do you typically read posts? Comments welcome!
Nice “sampling” from Virgil. And a cool trope, to have his tears turn warm and mellow. A special sort of “lunacy.” (Is “solacy” a word?)
Thanks for reading, M. D. Solacy is not in Webster’s; it’s a pharma product. Go figure.
I especially liked “nightmared my daydreams.” you are the master of turning nouns into verbs!
Hey Karen, Great to hear from you. That is sort of fun changing parts of speech! Thanks for checking in. Hope all is well!
I like the mythic starshine, but also all the sounds, the pizzicato, the plucking, the sonorous warmth … and the mellowing. Brava!
Thanks, Ms. Bea! I have been offline a bit, but I need to swing by and visit your site. Wishing you a happy Roman spring! I’ll see you soon! Best, ch
Been offline too. Your posts among the few I missed reading …