Sunday, November 06, 2011

dead still


dappled sunlight reignites air
delirium leaves seem to pleat
in the strident fall
in the tombstones
one can hear swish of impending storm

which shell emits piercing sound,
is that an omen?
why don't I see birds in the splendor of a cemetery?
shouldn't they be soothed as I am calmed by the dead still?

37 comments:

Kathy Bischoping said...

Wonderfully ominous. Especially the question of where the birds are...

Jae Rose said...

Wonderfully atmospheric piece..I wonder who Moore is..I love the red hues on the stone..the mystery and warmth in your writing..Jae

JJ Roa Rodriguez said...

nice take!

JJRod'z

Mimi Foxmorton said...

I can feel that post like wind on my skin........

Nice.

:)

Anonymous said...

A dark one. Very nicely wordled.

The Blog of Bee said...

A feeling of foreboding comes over me reading your clever words.

Tess Kincaid said...

Oh, I hear the swish here...

M. A. S. said...

I really like this different take on the way a cemetery can make you feel.

And I really like lines about the birds.

Anonymous said...

original...:)

C.M. Jackson said...

Very spooky...why don't the birds sing? Great magpie!

LBTL said...

what imagery and metaphors! nicely done as usual.
thanks for your visit :)

keiths ramblings said...

Maybe the birds know something you don't.

Tumblewords: said...

A rather eerie feel, overall. Enjoyed your well-chosen thoughts and words.

Old Egg said...

When I was a horrible little boy I used to collect wild birds eggs in a cemetery. I think they are quiet out of respect, unlike me.

Susie Clevenger said...

You have created an eerie feel with this...delirium leaves...impending storm... dead still...nice work

Nanka said...

Good questions Gautami!! You made it a bit eerie too, gave me goose bumps!!

Isabel Doyle said...

brooding

izzy said...

Love how you link it up with questions! I ended up doing something similar with thoughts.

Bubba said...

Perhaps the birds don't find the same solace in our cemeteries because they are ours and not theirs.

CHummelKornell said...

Wonderful and Gothic.

Harry Nicholson said...

Perhaps, if you return in Spring there will be birdsong. In the Autumn there might be just the odd tweet, otherwise the birds conserve their vigour for the Winter - and, of course many are on their way south.
Even so, the sentiments in your poem are worthy.
regards
Harry

Maxwell Mead Williams Robinson Barry said...

haunting,
well done.

ZQ said...

Wonderful!
ZQ

Lyn said...

A real sense of mystery..I pause, and look behind me...very nice!

Brian Miller said...

nice...i like all the questions as they bring to life what is happening in the pic...i too find solace among the dead...

Unspoken said...

Nicely done. I love the second line in the first stanza.

Adura Ojo said...

I like the last two lines and the sense of opposites, yet an analogy in each line.

Paraphrasing:

'splendour of a cemetry...
calmed by the dead still'

Really clever and creative.

Chèvrefeuille said...

What a "scary" one, but also it gives me the chills. Why don't birds sing on a cementery?
They should sing for sure at that place to comfort them who have lost their beloved ones.

The Write Girl said...

Calmed by the dead. It is an eerie thought but also very possible. Nice poem!

hyperCRYPTICal said...

Clever write.

Anna :o]

Margaret said...

Now I want to go and photograph the birds mat a cemetery. This poem certainly has a mellow tone...

Carrie Van Horn said...

Thought provoking and a captivating write. :-)

Anonymous said...

You create such an atmosphere!! Great imagery, with an excellent ending.

Bone said...

I've never noticed the absence of birds before. Then again, I've not noticed their presence either. But there always seems to be a breeze when I'm at the cemetery. Feels like the dead are speaking.

ms pie said...

a gathering of sorts indeed...

Shail Raghuvanshi said...

Neatly written. Well portrayed Gautami.

Anonymous said...

the birds are where the food is...