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Sunday 7 February 2010

Shadow


.

File:Shadow 2752.jpg





In the womb, selfless harmony,

undifferentiated light,

a rich drifting in dreams over which

in time

the shadow falls





Shadow: photo by Nevit Dilmen, 2006

19 comments:

STEPHEN RATCLIFFE said...

Tom,
pleasure to find this, and the resonances within to this --

2.7

first grey light in sky above still black
ridge, white curve of moon beside leaves
in foreground, sound of wave in channel

elusive, appearance a thing
perception would have

part from painting, however
equally clear, method

grey-white clouds reflected in channel,
shadowed green of ridge across from it

Elmo St. Rose said...

The amniotic water
is meant to be spilled

under the microscope
it ferns

Anonymous said...

Ah... the sweet shelter of the womb... The place we all want to go back to when we feel afraid or exhausted... Paradise before Earth.

Melissa said...

Thoughts of you and Keats today. After returning to The Eve of St. Agnes I found your poem-meaning read through contrast and light as verbal sign.

TC said...

As a long day closes, these lovely words from friends leave ripples that animate the shadows...

STEPHEN RATCLIFFE said...

Another 'something' as the new day begins -- pink, blue, red all 'noticeable' / thought, as is silver and shadowed green --

2.8

pink line of jet trail in pale blue sky
above ridge, white of moon below branch
in foreground, sound of wave in channel

corresponds to the opposite,
then taken equivalent

side the sun does not touch,
unnoticeable, thought

silver of sunlight reflected in channel,
shadowed green slope of ridge across it

gamefaced said...

in very few words says everything.

Diane Dehler said...

Beautiful.

TC said...

Steve,

The "side the sun does not touch" is where I live. But always hopeful to "correspond to the opposite" with you (bringing the light of moon, sky, sun every morning).

TC said...

gamefaced, Princess Haiku,

A pleasure indeed to share my small shadow with you.

aditya said...

Beautiful Tom !! Maybe .. An insight into how the surreality of dreams is re casted to reality. Certitude of the drifts being brought back to life by the very shadows every flicker of your drift shall create. Rising. And falling.

I absolutely loved the ending. Incredibly structured !!!

TC said...

Thank you Aditya.

In our dreams perhaps we are adrift in a life before or beyond our present life.

In time a shadow falls over this earthly paradise.

Alas.

STEPHEN RATCLIFFE said...

Tom,
Thank you, and I look every morning to see what you have sent across from that opposite/parallel side. No sun today, a moment of rain shower on roof, and now the song sparrows are starting up --

2.9

first grey light in cloud above blackness
of ridge, sound of drops falling on roof
in foreground, wave breaking in channel

constant whole section, two
systems are therefore

motion equal to force, left
side, first component

silver of sunlight reflected in channel,
shadowed canyon of ridge across from it

aditya said...

Hahah ! Exactly .. exactly ..

~otto~ said...

I'm often surprised by my lack of understanding about why certain things in your poems stick out to me. Like this: "undifferentiated light." It jumped off the screen and I don't know why and don't know whether to figure it out or just enjoy it. Help.

~otto~ said...

Never mind. I'm going to just enjoy it. :)

TC said...

Otto,

I'd rather you enjoyed it than either of us understood it or anything.

Thanks every time.

. said...

As always Tom, even when you use few words, you allow the reader to float and take different meanings..the ending here for me is a perfect example of this.

TC said...

Leigh,

Yes, in a curious way I felt this one was being lent me rather than "bought" by concentrated effort on my part. In which sense it does indeed feel "floated", not only as a paper boat (say) might be, but also, perhaps, as a loan (from time) might be.

(Hyper conscious anyway, lately, of time as something being borrowed rather than owned.)