Sunday 27 April 2014

Resuscitating Ophelia


                                                       Ophelia, by Odilon Redon


I gather her - limped hair & pale bones
Out of the water,  bedraggled as washed-

out page, skirted & flamed
by love's complicated twists & turns -

I brush the wild flowers from her cheeks-
Scrap away dead leaves & tangled roots-

Gently, I press on her lips- sip this brew
Stirred with orange & yellow seeds

Mixed with tea leaves & sea-
weeds,  stained with effervescent salt-  

Hovering pollen dust swells
Into pools of blue sky-  

Open your eyes & hear the murmurings
Of cinnamon trees, of red-song birds

There's a place for your dreams, sacred
& untouched by anyone but

you
Beautifully shaped by love & will

There is the garden
Where you can run freely & be

My hands will guide you, a step at
a time, until your voice grows stronger

Again,  Love is madness
But you are braver than you can imagine-

War & peace, ink & sword 
Your hands can birth & hold them, fiercely as sun-

There's a murmur, I hear -
There's another beat, I see you

Rising once more,
My beautiful daughter


Posted for Imaginary Garden with Real Toads - Play it again
& The Art by Odilon Redon
and Poets United - Thanks for the visit ~

38 comments:

  1. There is the garden
    where you can run freely & be

    Wouldn't we all love to find such a place? :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It would be a wonderful place Jinksy ~ Thank you for the visit ~

      Delete
  2. "War & peace, ink & sword
    Your hands can birth & hold them, fiercely as sun-"....love the lines :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is an amazing new ending to the story of Ophelia. I love the description of her removal from water and gradual resuscitation.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. More like an alternate to the sad & tragic ending of Ophelia ~ I thought the role of women was not given much power & light in the original version ~ Thanks Kerry ~

      Delete
  4. This left a feeling of such tenderness with me, there was something magical about this write.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is most, most beautiful. I love that this even occurred to you, to resurrect the most tragic of figures and empower her with her SELF. Your images, by the way, are beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love the idea of empowerment, specially with women ~ Thank you Karen ~

      Delete
  6. A really lovely write....There's a place for your dreams, sacred
    & untouched by anyone but you. Sounds of a place to be.

    ReplyDelete
  7. You have really captured the mood and colors in this painting(which I find very wistful) and given them voice, Grace. I love the way Ophelia is revived by her mother, gradually with all the magic of the earth, and her self and her importance, washed away by loss, restored to her. Thanks so much for this wonderful response to one of my favorite artists.

    ReplyDelete
  8. a much happier ending. She should have used the Rosemary for memory before she floated away.. forgetting times were good and could be again.

    ReplyDelete
  9. A little tender loving care can go a long way

    ReplyDelete
  10. So sweetly sad and haunting. She is one of my favorite characters. Thank you for writing, and continuing to write and touch.

    ReplyDelete
  11. So beautiful Grace… this line in particular caught my breath "War & peace, ink & sword
    Your hands can birth & hold them, fiercely as sun-"

    ReplyDelete
  12. A poem of such incredibly beautiful lines as "Open your eyes & hear the murmurings
    Of cinnamon trees, of red-song birds" has me in awe this morning, Grace. Wow. And at the end to read "my beautiful daughter" - so lovely. The painting is spectacular, too. Gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  13. wonderful images, the description itself... love is madness.. and the ending took me by surprise. lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  14. so beautiful.. i would so much enjoy Ophelia to face another destiny...

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hiya Grace, don't know how you write so richly so often... Another lovely read thank you... With Best Wishes Scott www.scotthastie.com

    ReplyDelete
  16. Oh! For all the Ophelia's in the world, I pray for this healing! A murmur, a chance! Gertrude would have had to do it for Hamlet's Ophelia, but she could not because she is an Ophelia herself, used and abused and with no sense of self.

    ReplyDelete
  17. This is so beautiful. By the end, I was imploring her to awaken as well.

    "Again, Love is madness
    But you are braver than you can imagine-

    War & peace, ink & sword
    Your hands can birth & hold them, fiercely as sun-"

    Simply beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  18. What beautiful words for your daughter...

    ReplyDelete
  19. I think of all of your poems that I have read, this one is my favorite, and that is saying something. Brava!

    ReplyDelete
  20. This has such a rhythm and I love the victorious tone in the closing portion. Well written!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Grace, this was beautiful. Simply beautiful. Wishing you a bright and amazing week. ~~ Kim

    ReplyDelete
  22. mythic.

    a good week to you, Grace ~

    ReplyDelete
  23. I love that this is about your daughter, Grace. Fantastic! As always, thank you. Have a beautiful week!

    Elsie
    AJ's wHooligan in the A-Z Challenge

    ReplyDelete
  24. A lovely poem for your daughter. She must be very proud of her mother!

    ReplyDelete
  25. well-written poem !

    ReplyDelete
  26. I was completely carried away by this beautiful poem and its intense emotion.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I will always think this the true ending from now on! …and how often are mother's called upon to play this age old task? Lovely, lovely. . Sorry to be responding to this prompt so late - I truly thank you for participating!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for your visit and comments ~ I appreciate them ~