Once seen …
An oldie, resurrected in this time of renewal …
Once seen . .
Its the blue that does it.
Every time
that blue grabs me –
that deep and deepening
cobalt blue, merging into black.
It has such gentleness and peace.
I want to sink into that blue;
I want my soul to swim in it;
I could lose myself in that blue.
Then again, there is the
sunset above water
— the sea, always the sea —
and the sense of distance,
of space opening beyond infinity.
I always had a soft spot for
sunsets over seascapes.
And of course there is that
sense of weightlessness
— he just floats there.
Must be nice that
to be weightless, drifting free;
to detach oneself;
to soar above the world;
to float away from the humdrum,
effortless and serene;
a very pleasant way of
escaping troubles.
Of course,
the nails through
the hands and feet
wouldn’t be much fun.
© Elfstone 20/9/03
This was the first poem I posted to UKA back in 2004 (was it really that long ago?!). It seems appropriate to post it in the new site and I suspect most of the people who are now members have not seen it. It was a Challenge poem, the task being to write an ekphrastic poem.
Well I was sinking slowly and blissfully into the beauty of your images, then bang, I hit the last verse and a ‘whoa where did that come from?’ But it works so well 🙂 plus I have learnt a new word, never heard of ekphrastic before, not in my dictionary so had to resort to the ‘web’ 🙂 Sue.
Sweetwater, my thanks for reading and leaving this comment. I love the fact that you were ‘sinking slowly and blissfully into the beauty of my images’ 🙂 Elf.
you cannot float like that without the nails
good poem
“you cannot float like that without the nails” – now there’s an interesting thought. Thanks for reading this iyp. Elf
I was floating around with them until the ending.
Thank you Jay12. I hope the bumpy ending wasn’t too painful! Elf
Difficult at first reading to realise that the work of art in question is about Christ’s crucifixion. The denouement is in the final stanza. A skilled write but I would question the lines
“a very pleasant way of
escaping troubles.”
Luigi x
My thanks, as always, for your thoughts Ionicus. I wonder what is wrong with those two lines? What is it that you question? Elf
My thanks, as always, for your thoughts Ionicus. I wonder what is wrong with those two lines? What is it that you question? Elf
Oooops! not sure why this is doubled … and I can’t delete this one 🙁
My point is: the final verse –
“Of course,
the nails through
the hands and feet
wouldn’t be much fun.”
hardly represents
“a very pleasant way of
escaping troubles.”
i was reading along happily, thinking you were describing the beautiful part of the world where you stay. Yes, the last lines are a shocker but I was immediately thinking of one of my favourite works of art.
Dali’s ST John of the Cross.
Alison x
Indeed, that is the painting, which I saw in the Kelvingrove Gallery, once, when I was a young child. it made quite an impression! Thanks as always for commenting Storm. Elf
Well, is that not amazing! My grandparents stayed in Glasgow and every year from about age 4 we used to visit and Kelvin Grove Gallery and museum was the place I always wanted to go first and that was the painting I always yearned for. Looking back a strange compulsion for such a young child but I can see now I was not the only one. I was mesmerised by it and was devastated when once somebody threw a brick through it. It was then cordoned off with red ropes. It caused quite a bit of controversy when it was… Read more »