Monday 6 August 2012

A labor of love



         frame pictures in shoe box were 6 years dusty
         a lifetime has leaped from carefree smiles to today,
         that suddenly the dam burst, frothing of words
         he never knew: sadness, angst, love uprooted so quickly

he wrote feverishly - pages upon pages,
the birthing easy, like a quick sprint to paper mill,
muscles relaxed,  breathing easy, then fast 
as release came,  furious like raging bull

         charging the streets, torrential flood of youth's passion
         he pumped his muscles until it was firm and unyielding
         of his journey, words became sharper and shades deeper,   
         only now, the birthing became more and more labored 

it felt like a sharp knife in his chest, a stake deepening,   
claws knotting his veins with each tug and pull, 
driving him crazy in the lonely hours of night,  
so after months of writing,  he decided to 
stop -

          let the words 
          sway in quiet contemplation, like the sea 
          waiting for the ship to plumb its depths,     
          bowstring curled still in lover's fingers,       
          unknowing when

they will meet again     


Posted for the OpenLinkNight of Real Toads (Monday) and D'verse Poets Pub (Tuesday).
My son and I wrote poetry at about the same time last year, but he has stopped writing, while I have continued.       

picture credit:   here

48 comments:

  1. I have known brilliant poet's who have created an amazing body of unparalleled work in a matter of months, then stop writing altogether. It breaks my heart every time.

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    1. When I see a blogger stopped writing or delete the blog, it makes me sad too Kerry ~

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  2. This is lovely. A labour of love, indeed. I'm so pleased for our sakes, that you continued to write. :) Keep on keeping on too!

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    1. Thanks for the support and lovely words Bren ~ I do hope to continue writing ~

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  3. Excellent. I love the intensity.

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    1. Thank you MZ ~ I appreciate your visit ~

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  4. Faster and faster, more and more intense, I could feel every line accelerating and intensifying; skirting and hinting eroticism!! Then he stopped the action (writing), silently yet eagerly probing still for an encouraging gesture.

    Thank you for peeking in on my shortcut post and for your nice comment.
    ..

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    1. Well, he says it will always stay with him, unwritten or not ~

      Thanks for the visit Jim ~

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  5. nice...lots of emotion in the journey of his that you captured...there is a bit of madness that the words can bring once you take up the pen...i can relate on some level to the feelings he had...and you never know when he might decide once more to take it up....

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    1. I agree on the madness of words as the birthing process can be a struggle for me ~

      Thanks for the lovely words Brian ~

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  6. I hate to quote a popular song, but you can become addicted to a certain kind of sadness. Then the poems take up the pen and write us in ways we'd rather they didn't.
    I've stopped about 20 times, but the words wait for my return.
    I love how you expressed this at the end.
    And thanks for your support to my feeble offerings, Grace
    Rick

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    1. Your writing is far from feeble, its wonderful Rick ~

      I like the idea of the words waiting for our return...because sometimes I think they are just hiding in a corner ~

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  7. Can be quite the ride with the words coming due, a bit frantic or such I suppose too. Sure maybe one day he'll pick it up once more.

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  8. Emotive piece... I think many can relate to this in some way or other.

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  9. WOW! Such description of the first stages of passion and the step back to see if true loving can begin!

    "claws knotting his veins with each tug and pull,
    driving him crazy in the lonely hours of night"

    No one can keep up that level of intensity, but! "like the sea
    waiting for the ship to plumb its depths"

    The decent may come slower, but the progress, eased by small gifts, may include falling in love again and again.

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  10. Writing words and writing music can be such a painful experience. The horrible push to get it out, that won't leave you alone, won't go away until you allow it free rein. And then it stops and you just hang there in the horrid silence waiting for inspiration to come again, so you can feel the same pain of creation again. We are a twisted bunch, we artists. But we don't stop, we never should stop.

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  11. Beautifully written! Can honestly say that I felt emotion as I read that! Love how you put hope at the end.

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  12. this was one of your best poems, darling, I'm really proud of you! So many deep images.

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    1. Thanks dear Dez ~ Though I like to believe my best writings are still to come ~

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  13. I think sometimes when a person begins to write they write the 'easy stuff,' but after a person writes the easy stuff for a while it is the hard stuff that gnaws at him or her and he/ she has to choose whether he/she is willing to risk it or not. If not, he (or she) may just stop writing.....easier than exploring one's depths for some. Anyway, that is my theory.

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    1. I like your perspective Mary ~ Thanks for sharing this ~

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  14. This is so timely for me right now, Grace. I'm in the middle of a piece myself and this spoke to me. I hope one day your son will put pen to paper again. Thank you.

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    1. Thank you for the lovely words and visit Elsie ~

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    2. You inspire me more than you now <3

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  15. wow. reading this after being in a kind of blue state of mind...

    it's bitterly beautiful grace.

    i don't know if i'll write again, i'm in a place where the words are gone, probably because my blogger is.

    lisa

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    1. I respect your decision Lisa ~ And I hope you will find your peace and if someday, you feel the urge to write again...well let me know. I think you have a unique voice and you shouldn't allow anyone to silence it ~ Good luck dear ~

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  16. I liked the sexy feel of this. Some affairs are fast and furious, some last till the grave. Perhaps writing is like that?

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  17. I only hope my affair with writing stays...I think we all hope that. Well done.

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  18. Love this..and I hope he gets inspired and writes again.

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  19. there are so many different reasons that make us write...joy, pain, struggle and maybe there is a time to write and then to fall quiet to let it sit and sail and see what comes back... hopefully he starts writing again

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  20. Beautifully expressed! And the page is always ready for us to come back. Maybe he will return to it.

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  21. this is wonderful, I especially love the way it ends... great tension.

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  22. Oh wow! So much to love in here, this might just be one of my favourite pieces of yours, really well written, exquisite!

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  23. Ack!! Sometimes it just hurts to go on... and one can only hope that those words come to the pen...some day.. of their own accord!

    I am glad you have continued the way you did, Heaven... may the flow of words continue!

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  24. a very intense piece indeed..and delicate at the same time. i especially enjoyed 'let the words sway in quiet contemplation, like the sea waiting for the ship to plumb its depths'.

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  25. intense and beautiful. I find I go in waves--writing then not--then writing again. It definitely is a wonderful release; you expressed this quite well.

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  26. I love the metaphors and the passion that pulses through the poem, tempos changing with time all the while plumbing the depths of what writing is and means.

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  27. The words are always out there, aren't they? But they hide. It's frightening to think they may be forever out of sight. This poem is outstanding...such great pace and rhythm. I enjoyed this a great deal.

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  28. Ahh I stopped for such a long time (was writing lyrics) then restarted with a passion that has not left ... great write

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  29. Very vivid and flowing! I know the phrase 'labor of love' but I never envisioned it quite so magnificently! Great write!

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  30. A compelling and interesting write, Heaven! I can so relate. The muse will not be forced...xj

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  31. I've sometimes felt this way about my own poetry... That without some reason to continue, I could just simply stop. (Luckily there are still a few readers who pass by.) And so your parable speaks of community, and our need for it. So much truth in it.

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    1. I understand... feverishly writing as the words pour through an ink fountain. Excitement building, anxiety rising until the story is told.Then you come down from it all...

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  32. A respite from carrying on is real. One gets distracted for some while. But a slight encouragement is enough provocation to restart. I should think he'll come around. Nice take, Heaven!

    Hank

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  33. This starts quietly and moves up through the gears quite quickly. I particularly liked:
    let the words
    sway in quiet contemplation, like the sea
    waiting for the ship to plumb its depths,

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  34. Poignant layers and never say never who knows who will finish writing in the end

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  35. I get like that too. I could be on an easy ride -- writing easily and then, trickle. I have had a couple of long breaks where I thought I would never come back to writing.

    I really like the flow of this poem, in the words showing movement and mood of the writer -- lots of energy to quiet thoughtfulness.

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Thanks for your visit and comments ~ I appreciate them ~