Monday, August 20, 2012

dregs

Under Windsor Bridge, 1912, by Adolphe Valette
he hid his lopsided smile
in that misty evening
orange light cast a paleness
standing at the edge
he looked at the dredge

what dregs were left behind
in the remnants of his mind
moist air flowed around him
yet in his heart
there was a drought

the water below was as still
as his turmoil 
ghostly shadows cast a spell
yet he chose the difficult path
walked away from the edge

"that gap in the bridge is never an option"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 My muse seems to be in a vacation. I had to prod it today to do some work!!

29 comments:

Tess Kincaid said...

Oh you had me at "lopsided smile"...

joanne said...

Hurray, he didn't jumpQ

Old Egg said...

I can remember the smoggy cities polluted with coal fires and exhaust. There was a certain beauty about them especially when walking in the hushed atmosphere you could think of many things. Luckily he realized that life wasn't so bad after all, difficult though it might be. I must look for a prodding stick like yours, I enjoyed this very much.

Sayantini said...

Nice work:D
Follow each other?

Trellissimo said...

what dregs were left behind
in the remnants of his mind

How appropriate for this picture full of hovering menace behind its apparent calm...

Jae Rose said...

I am so glad he stepped back..sometimes dregs are heavy and thick..hard to shake off..this piece is wonderfully atmospheric..i don't think your muse has abandoned you..jae

Rosemary Nissen-Wade said...

I think you prodded your Muse very successfully!

Unknown said...

First time on your site, and I love your writing! Your muse seems to be at his typewriter and working overtime ;) great poem

Abigail Bunting said...

Enjoyed your description of the moist air under the bridge, in contrast with the drought in his heart. I also like how you called his decision "the difficult path." So true!

Brian Miller said...

really nice word pairings...lopsided grin...but also drought of the heart...

Sherry Blue Sky said...

So glad the gap in the bridge is never an option!

Unknown said...

i love that you portrayed the more difficult part as walking away rather than jumping. beautiful. x

Daydreamertoo said...

Ahh... sometimes we are 'made' to make the right choice by a higher power than ourselves. Very evocative write!

Little Nell said...

Walking away as the difficult choice - a clever twist.

Susie Clevenger said...

Walking away is not easy, but thankfully he did...

Susan Anderson said...

I like your take on this prompt.
And I'm glad he was able to walk away.

=)

Anonymous said...

very powerful.

roswellgray

Josie Two Shoes said...

I loved this because you also chose to write about another kind of drought, the dryness of a thirsty soul. Really well done, your words paint a picture even better than the one displayed!

Anonymous said...

For having to prod your muse, this is pretty darn good! I really enjoyed it.

Anonymous said...

i also love the "lopsided smile" and i'm so glad he walked away from the edge!

a really wonderful take on the prompt!

flipside records said...

The opening is my favorite part:

"he hid his lopsided smile
in that misty evening
orange light cast a paleness"

Bone said...

Always a treat to come here, Gautami. I like that you used both "dregs" and "dredge." You really put me there in the scene.

Unknown said...

I love that you began with the obvious color orange and managed to peel back the layers until you came to the sweet fruition. Well done and thank you for sharing. =D

Unknown said...

You have outdone yourself. I love the twist in the end. Great job!
Mine is here
Have you a ROCKING AND WEEK!!!
hugs
shakira

21 Wits said...

Too funny, I hate it when my muse takes off and has a more fun than me! Great story, and sometimes we do have to get very close to the edge before we can turn away!

Ella said...

I love the emotion of your words and the "lopsided smile" really paints the portrait well~

victoria said...

Your prodding worked well, Gautami. This is beautiful.

Tumblewords: said...

I love the drought in his heart; moist air all around.

ayala said...

Loved lopsided smile and drought in his heart. Nicely done.