Tuesday, February 02, 2010

Wallpaper

the old-fashioned kind
stippled in sage-green with
a border of rosebuds.

Look again: they could be
pink baby-fists, clenched
on pale green flannel

or glossed lips pursed
for a kiss from a neat beard
above a tweed jacket.

They could be hearts
laboring toward stillness
under a favorite quilt

or sunset clouds
hovering over haymeadows
or just rosebuds after all.

It all depends on the story.

--for Read Write Poem's prompt on narrative wallpaper.
Collection available! Knocking from Inside

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beautiful pacing and shifts of attention in this piece. The "Look again" says it all -- not just because we see different pictures in spatial figures when we take a second or third look, but because those pictures start moving in time: you sequence your images through the natural phases of a lifespan: birth, falling in love, death. Yes, as the famous writer put it, the world is made not of atoms, but of stories...

Unknown said...

Such versatile rosebuds! But soft in shade and sentiment. A lovely, gentle poem.

rallentanda said...

The mind is a powerful creative tool capable of creating wallpapered rosebuds into fists or lips depending on the mood state.
Cracks in the ceiling are good too!

Matthew Quinn said...

Well done. Thanks for sharing this one.

Anonymous said...

Oh, I like this. What a nice selection of possibilities. I think I'll take the tweedy beard.

Anonymous said...

Awesome! It's like making shapes from clouds, from the comfort of your own lounge room :)

flaubert said...

Quite versatile piece! I enjoyed it!

Pamela

Wayne Pitchko said...

great rosebuds indeed....nicely done

Deb said...

Fabulous way to get at a bit of fanciful paper! Enjoyed it tremendously.