Survivors

Survivors

Saturday, December 20, 2014

In The Violet Hour

©  Steve King 2014
All Rights Reserved

Unseen through any fold of shadow,
near, yet ever out of reach—
I had hoped the one dream
might linger and appease.

But faint as a far tremor
sifting through loose sands:
the echoes of those vesper notes,
like water through my hands.

I shall reach for nearer things,
embrace them as I can.

Lost amid strange twilight times,
let all the dreams be damned.


19 comments:

  1. This is for me a wonderful state of mind to be in--lost in those times of dreaming when I am awake--even for short bits before the dreams fade and I am left with my chores

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  2. Yes those dreams have to be graspable - we need them close at hand.. Dissapontment is so often the result.

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  3. Some dreams elude us like water but there is comfort in the nearer things and embrace them when we can ~

    Wishing you Merry Christmas Steve ~

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  4. nice. dreamy poetry, but philosophically solid. thanks.

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  5. I love the merging of poetry and dreams in the violet hour.

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  6. Ya know, Steve? Sometimes reaching for the stars leaves us missing out on the brilliance shining all around us. Took me 50-some years to figure that out. Lovely work, my old friend. Best holiday wishes to you and M.

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    1. Yes, Joe...even when we realize it, it's sometimes tough to incorporate the attitude into behavior. Thanks for the words, but then again, you have a thing for them...Happy Holiday to all.

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  7. Some dreams are hard to obtain. I can feel the pain of loss as a dream slips away. Perhaps, a new dream can take shape as light comes in many forms. Peace to you in the New Year!

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  8. I always read your poetry through a few times: first to grasp the gist of the poem, then to appreciate the wording that you use, and then to absorb it as a whole, often pondering deeper meanings in your turn of phrase. For instance at first glance this is a lovely capture of the illusiveness of dreams. But the two final stanzas struck me as something deeper and more current: that we are indeed experiencing "twilight times" as witnessed almost daily in the news.That's the beauty I have found in your writing; it lets the reader find their own interpretations in your words.
    Briefly two other things I really liked in this: the phrase "echoes of those vesper notes," which breathes like a whisper, just lovely. Also your subtle use of slant-rhymes, which definitely enhance the piece, especially when read aloud. A rather brief piece for you, my friend, but beautifully penned!
    Wishing you and your family have a lovely holiday season, and all the best in the coming year!

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  9. I like the idea of reaching for nearer things! That philosophy makes sense to me...rather than reaching things that are out of range.

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  10. The sands and the water here are especially compelling for me, as I think of the sands of an hour glass, time, and also the water of (somehow) redemption, but also, a different kind of flow that can be loss--I'm sure you know Auden's--As I walked out one evening--where he talks of plunging your hands in the basin--and thinking of what you've missed--also the water brings up a bit of out damn spot--how we can't wash what's been away. Maybe I am too fanciful, but all of this comes up for me with those lines, which are very strong. The dream here like something we wish for, but something we thought we had in the night. Really well done. Your length, succinctness, willingness to allow ambiguity, also super strong. k.

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  11. Making the reality of now as near and dream itself is a challenge of now that may be met.. when near becomes dream itself...

    But of course easier said and dreamed than action ITself....

    When action becomes dream and dream is action.. then ITself becomes
    near and REAL......AND dream.....

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  12. You've struck a chord with this one, Steve. For me though, I find it's much easier said than done. What a strong closing line. Well, the whole piece is. And thanks for visiting me, even when I didn't link up to anything. I wish you a happy Yule and New Year.

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  13. Very seasonal feeling in this, surrounded as we are by both hype and sincerity, ugliness, beauty, the enduring and the superficial ephemeral--the mood is haunting, melancholy, but also determined and in its own way, quite positive. It's the time, after all, to turn a page, light a new candle, even if all it illumines are the ruins of the past....or so I read. A fine piece, Steve, and a good holiday time to you.

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  14. awesome poem...i felt as if i were moving through a sixth dimension.

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  15. A strong closing line. Wishing you happiness in 2015.

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  16. For me I need to make the dreams the nearer things I fear! I let so much get in the way and then I rue it. Thanks. K.

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  17. I resonate with the "violet hour" and twilight times".......and the "echoes of those vesper notes". Beautiful, Steve!

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