Steve King ©2024
All rights reserved
I know you only as an alias,
Some stranger’s voice that bundles every dream.
When speak you must, I must be listening;
When you will sigh, I tend to that desire,
A strangeness, far from old imaginings
Which once could promise comfort, conjure ease.
Prisoning dreams may flee, yet steal their times,
Let rush rough sands through every passing hour.
Each hollowed moment turns eternity,
While aspiration levels to the core,
Like feathers falling slowly from the sun.
The broken measure comes to me,
A voice once meant to nurture old repose:
Withheld too long to keep its meaning plain,
Too soon for answers I’ve not yet composed.
I must imagine true, or must deny
This alias, forever alibi.
Nice to see you link up Steve, it was a long time. I read your poem over and over and felt that connection almost like some of the poets who write as alias, and i really love the last line of an alias as alibi. accept it or deny.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bjorn. A pleasure to be back.
Deletethere is a strong a poetic voice to this poem and a joy to read aloud. So many lovely lines and subtle refences "Like feathers falling slowly from the sun." is surely the over aspiring Icarus
ReplyDeleteThank you, Laura.
DeleteAs one of the masked, the alias for me puts my personal history in the background to allow the myth (or whatever's collective) to to speak. How well the ruse works over time I have no idea, but surely the eye-holes get wispy, the string loose, the guise gets a bit cockeyed. And how long can anyone speak truly for the dead? Beats me. Great to see you again in the fray, Steve, you've been missed.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Brendan. It’s great to be here again.
DeleteThoughtful writing and especially like how you concluded it.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely to read you again Steve. The last 2 lines hits me square in the face. One can say the alias is always an alibi, but really it might me with the poetic voice. But there is always a comfort or ease, when the poetic voice connects with me.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Grace.
DeleteA beautifully crafted, thought-provoking verse. The concluding lines are excellent.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteHi Steve--I certainly relate to the idea of alias as alibi! This is a very interesting form here--subtle, but it has a lovely music and internal rhyme. Thanks. Karin (ManicDdaily)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Karin.
DeleteHi Steve
ReplyDeleteAs one who uses an alias I can relate but, with saying that I have had deep connections with other poets that use an alias. We are connected by the magic of words and dreams it seems. Those last two lines, made me pause - Truedessa