Tuesday 21 August 2012

Where the white gulls nest

                      Gull Lake, Ontario@SweetLust                              


here
where the white gulls nest
and the lake bends to the cool wind

i sit serenely 
on giant rocks carved out of glacier sheets
and fiery volcanic spews,    

blue water is unruffled by misty fog
nor motorboats fishing in deepest basin,
softly gliding fingers on golden harp

symphony of silence 
is loud 
muffling cries by gulls circling shores 

i lay my head 
on curve of your mountain,
warm and sparkling green in late summer 

though sands shift in copper light,  
and forest pines erode with each season,    
my bedrock,  

you



Posted for:   D'verse Poets Pub - OpenLinkNight - every Tuesdays at 3pm EST - Spent the weekend basking in the serenity of Gull Lake.  Thanks for the visit ~   

50 comments:

  1. That's as it should be. It's funny, the image that imprints, is the shifting sand, for me. Like staring into a campfire.
    Love the pic of a northern lake, too. Takes me back to many a day i spent at lake superior
    Rick

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Interesting perspective Rick ~ I was actually amazed at the sheer size of those ancient rocks ~ Thanks for the visit ~

      Delete
  2. Heaven, this is beautiful. I felt the calming effect of your Gull Lake weekend. I also read it as a love poem....loved the very effective ending which caused me to see the poem also in that light. Enjoyed this

    ReplyDelete
  3. Grace, a beautiful poem! Serene and wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Ayala for the lovely comments ~

      Delete
  4. Sounds like you had a nice relaxing weekend, can't say I'd pass up such a one, must have been nice to get rid of the rat race for a while.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was lovely Pat ~ A nice change from the city's rat race for sure ~

      Delete
  5. nice..a beautiful landscape and you found the right words to capture it.. peaceful..

    ReplyDelete
  6. Symphony of silence, so evocative Heather. As and Irish person who was raised in the rurals, to be separated from the land means the death of my soul. I lived in a city once for 6 years and almost forgot who I was. Man I do not think is meant for cities, for smog, for crowding, for impatience, for anger. He is made to be near the things God created and your everyday should be like this one.

    So nicely written.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ahh...you cannot wish for more than this and, to have someone as your bedrock is the icing on the cake. Loved the imagery in all of this.

    ReplyDelete
  8. MORE than splendid, relaxing and so so wonderful is this.

    Long may the golden harp touch your words.

    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  9. your poetry is so full of grace..feels like words are dancing in refreshing silver rain as i read you..this is delicate and i loved the way you conclude it. thank you for sharing~~

    ReplyDelete
  10. Beautifully written--it makes me want to touch the earth to my ear and hear her

    ReplyDelete
  11. nicely done! i feel as if im there with this character!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Ah! Very pretty and surprisingly sensual at end. k.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Sounds beautifully restful and a nice way to connect with nature...the color of that water is so pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Love your loud symphony of silence, and that it came from,

    "...giant rocks carved out of glacier sheets
    and fiery volcanic spews,"

    So this IS our Universe.
    And it remains our refuge,
    where we lay our heads and hearts

    YOU!

    How sweet it is!
    PEACE!

    ReplyDelete
  15. symphony of silence...i love that kinda silence....nature is my balm on tough days...and i would loved to have been sitting right there yesterday...ha....today though was much better....lovely capture ma'am

    ReplyDelete
  16. You know I'm a fan of the beach and water. This brought me right to my "happy" place. Thank you, Heaven. I'm glad you had an enjoyable weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  17. such a perfect constancy - Mmmm - in such a perfect setting - so lovely - lib

    ReplyDelete
  18. Beautiful, strong, solid. Like the feeling you are describing.

    ReplyDelete
  19. A beautiful scene and a beautiful poem. Makes one feel and want to remain young! Great write,Heaven!

    Hank

    ReplyDelete
  20. A perfect moment, perfectly reflected. I love the harp, the mountain and the sounds in the silence.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I haven't been here for a while, and you changed things up a bit :-)

    Your poem felt very good inside me, was a soothing balm on a wound...

    Wander

    ReplyDelete
  22. Beautiful, Heaven...I've been missing vists to your blog, but do read them in email and love each one.

    Symphony of silence...wow!

    Lovely piece : )
    -Eva

    ReplyDelete
  23. Full of the serenity of both love and nature. Enjoyed it, Heaven.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I love the opening line and the ancient image of evolution that makes me think of the others who were able to bask in such serenity. Such comfort in this moment, really cool that your piece is sandwiched between 'here' and 'you'. Lovely. :)

    ReplyDelete
  25. I love finding serenity and finding it in a poem is a double bonus. Wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  26. You have set a beautiful scene. I especially like:

    symphony of silence
    is loud
    muffling cries by gulls circling shores

    ReplyDelete
  27. "i sit serenely
    on giant rocks carved out of glacier sheets
    and fiery volcanic spews,
    . . . .
    "i lay my head
    on curve of your mountain,
    warm and sparkling green in late summer"

    I know these "bedrocks" seemingly so immoveable, I love to feel the heat of the sun on them, and maybe that's what the gulls love too--that and a place to drop and crack the shells of their prey--
    Gorgeous poem filled with summer and thereness.

    ReplyDelete
  28. The serenity of the inner self is wonderfully anchored by the steadfastness of the landscape, and peaceful waters.

    ReplyDelete
  29. beautiful poem, only equal to your beautiful weekend i'm sure.


    lisa

    ReplyDelete
  30. lots of textures - water, sand, bedrock, lava, symphony, muffeled sounds...

    fruit essence facial mask

    ReplyDelete
  31. oh, fantastic ending. My bedrock/you- so nicely delivered. Really exceptional image choices throughout. A really nice read. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  32. This is a most beautiful poem, Heaven..... Indeed, you took my breath away. The first four stanzas are my favorite of every poem I have ever read of yours........ You absolutely whisked me into nature. You are so incredibly romantic, though, that the poem itself could not have stood, could not have lived or breathed without your last two stanzas: an undying love, an unbranded commitment... your bedrock, which was completely absent from the first four. And so I wondered if you see the same difference that I do? As a child my sisters, brother, and parents were everything in my life. Often we visited a local park, very similar to the photo you have here. We were lucky enough as children to have discovered the location of one of the ducks nests just along the waters edge. We marveled at the few eggs she had so carefully padded inside, and how she would start swimming our way whenever we came close to them, no matter where she was on that small lake. Over the weeks we kept watch over those eggs and eventually one day found baby ducklings in the nest. It was such a magical time for me.... And not just because of my five sisters, or brother, or the eggs themselves, but also because of our mother, who would everyday pack the car with six or seven kids, half a loaf of bread to feed the ducks, and head to the spot where "the duck eggs were." Colloquialism, I guess, our childish jargon to describe an intense part of our lives together. "Where the duck eggs were." Your title and first four stanzas absolutely took me back there... So I ask in the most humble way that I know, Miss Heaven, do you see the value of this poem without the last two verses? It is an absolute masterpiece. Of course it is as well with them added too..... Thank you.....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for sharing your lovely childhood memories John. I do see the value of family and bonding over these shared experiences. I added the last stanza to emphasize the point of steadfastness in the midst of changing seasons. Those big granite rocks made a big impression on me, amids the serenity of the lake. The peace is a respite because life really is pretty quick and challenging at these times of our lives. I appreciate your lovely response and visit ~

      Delete
  33. I live in earthquake country, and so am more skeptical that the ground beneath my feet is solid. But I enjoyed your appreciation of this place in the poem, and I hope you truly have found bedrock -- and the pun that may be behind such a term!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Perfection of nature and perfection of lines to encapsulate it.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Looks and sounds wonderful..could use that kind of getaway

    ReplyDelete
  36. Nice imagery and a wonderful 'surprise' ending.

    ReplyDelete
  37. So elegant, and the reference to relationships contrast with the elements of the earth says to me about how important our 'rocks' are.

    ReplyDelete
  38. breath-taking and oh so romantic.

    ReplyDelete
  39. such a beautiful and peaceful image you have painted here. Something about "symphony of silence / is loud" just speaks to me.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Love the feel and tone of this piece HEAVEN, lovely write...

    ReplyDelete
  41. I've read many of your poems, but this one is something special - it's so loving, so restful. To have something that feeds the soul like this is truly a gift and the last stanza really brings that image home! I really love the photo of the red bench as well.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for your visit and comments ~ I appreciate them ~