Sunday, September 26, 2010

powders of stones

Layer by layer, he chiselled the surface, hardened over time. Now time had no meaning, but for his work. Destruction, construction, it was not for him to decide. On his feet lay the debris, powdered monument, was it? Nothing made sense any more, only the task, burdened with overcast ripples of thumbed ocean.

only a chipped thought
flies away to the cerulian sky
sacred invasion

His skin had that sheen, although weathered. He was the monument, and its love, which none remembered. If memories had a tapestry, he would win hands down. But memories, for him,  were traps of fire, a quagmire, with no immediate escape.

swat flying creatures
they can't take you far away
you will die anyway

I close the chapter, with a snap, find my fingers breaking the spine. Horrified I observe the pages falling apart, just like the miniscule powders of stones, flying around him. Not bothered, he hammers the ground now. When the earth shakes, he laughs out loud, a sound I had forgotten. I like the crying earth, the bursting sky, awaiting for water to engulf me.

oceans are so hungry-
always swallow those stones
whole city underneath

30 comments:

Gemma @ Greyscale said...

Dust to dust with some brush strokes of love in between! And there is somehow an elusive Atlantis hovering in here too! A fascinating piece of writing!

Carina said...

Great destructive force in this poem. I love your use of words!

Harshad Mehta said...

"His skin had that sheen, although weathered. He was the monument, and its love, which none remembered."

Yes. So true. In long run nothing matters. Yet all efforts are to leave memory.

Deeply philosophical.

Teresa said...

Very interesting! I love this--lost cities.

Nanka said...

Loved the last one the best.Ruined monuments of the past speak out volumes.

Old Egg said...

Loved the mixture of prose and haiku. All is dust and destruction in time. I saw myself as a mayfly living for but a day in the whole gamut of time.

Ramesh Sood said...

Thanks Gautami for such a wonderful and thought provoking write on 'Monument'.. I think all of us have to finally leave our mark behind ..our footprints..before becoming a part of dust..

I am giving a standing ovation to this..

Vinay Leo R. said...

very beautiful :) the wordplay was fantastic..!

good to see u again at HH, Gautami! :D

Anonymous said...

Loved the way you wove together the prose and poems.

Insensitive haiku

Amity said...

I like your treatment here Gautami! This is just unique and beautiful! What a rendition to the monument prompt!

Btw, re your probs on my comment platform Disqus, don't you worry dear, I added you already to my Whitelist of commenter, no more comment moderation for you! Do try and find out! Thanks for the comment and for letting me know!

Deborah said...

I loved the mix of this, wonderfully written!

Magical Mystical Teacher said...

Inspired by your words:

a chipped thought
may be more sacred than
a whole one


Sacred Rubble

SandyCarlson said...

I like what you have to say about monmuents. I have read and reread this and thought, "yes," many different ways. We destroy to create.

Sherri B. said...

What a unique poem, and powerful, too...the way you set up had such an impact. Gorgeous!

Rumya said...

Learnt about Haibun today. Thank you for that Gautami!! It was a wonderful read!!

dasuntoucha said...

Vivid words...enjoyed reading this piece.

Anonymous said...

The final haiku is a gulp of a poem. The selection of detail leaving me breathless. Entropy. Force(s). Dust. So rich. Thank-you.

Anonymous said...

An impressive measurement of time indeed.

Please have a wonderful start into the new week.

daily athens

Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis Hall said...

very powerful and skillful poem.

Uma Anandane said...

Beautifully written gautami!.. a haibun form of poetry

Tumblewords: said...

I'm pretty sure this is my favorite of your poems. I love the rub of myth against the real, and the sound of breaking spines and shaking stones. Terrific read!

Cassiopeia Rises said...

Tami, just loved all the poems. What a great way to use all the prompts.


Melanie

JanePoet/deborah said...

strong throughout ... love the idea of a "chipped thought"

peace,
JP/deb

Sandra.if said...

I enjoyed reading this...!

Amanda Moore said...

Lovely Haibun this form is really catching on you did a beautiful job! I could almost see da Vinci sculpting away while reading.....

Nalini Hebbar said...

Wonderful way with words...you have played with them much to my satisfaction

Someone is Special said...

You are of super kind.. Loved your take..

--Someone Is Special--

Patti said...

Loved this- very creative use of the prompt! Great read~

Unknown said...

You are an amazing writer. I too loved the way you wove the poems with your prose. I found it to be like an antique script of a larger work.

Beautiful and tragic.

http://myscatteredstones.blogspot.com/2010/09/magpie-tales-mag-33.html

ms pie said...

glad to have stopped by otherwise i would have missed this... luv the direction your writing is going,as if you suddenly found a set of wings... or is it the haibun complements a wonderful weave to yr writing... the richness of your words