One day long ago
I tossed my ring--
That symbol of completion
Of perfection
Of wholeness
Of everything
Of some kind of marriage--
Into the soft earth under the fir trees
Along the stream down this long road.
My ideas of love sank into the soft earth
Where there bloom every spring
Daffodils
Planted very likely
By some diligent housewife,
Years and years ago
Though those flowers would not stay put.
These daffodils
Washed or blew or swam downhill
Through the soft springtime earth
Or perhaps they walked
(I am open to anything)
To bloom where they damn well pleased.
That's the circle I know about
I watch it take shape every year
As I too try to come up for air.
One Single Impression
46 Comments
Whoa... that's... heavy.
ReplyDeleteI'm not PADI certified or anything, but I know buddy breathing. (Perks of dating a diving instructor for a little while.)
So anyway... if you're afraid you're drowning...
Um... really nice macro here too.
*hugs*
It is very seldom to find blog about faith and God. Lucky i got one for my students so may i ask if your are open to have an exchange link with our blog http://depedteacher.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteLet me know your comment on this
regards
I love the yearly circles and trying to come up for air. Just brilliant.
ReplyDeleteThis is very poignant, Sandy... and personal.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I know for sure is that you are blooming beautifully! And I hope you continue to do so... wherever you "damn well" please.
I'm so sorry to learn of the heartache that you've no doubt dealt with. It amazes me the warmth and tenderness and hope that fills your posts. I wonder if your strength has always been obvious to you... or if it's been tested and grown through the disappointments that you've faced, the hopes you buried.
You are a miracle. Certainly you have been a miracle in my life.
Simply beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThe image of the sinking ring evoked an earthworm, surely the most humble of creatures whose work makes the rich Midwest loam that grows the crops to feed the whole world.
ReplyDeleteThings change. But the changed relationship had its apex, too. A soaring, rich one, named Della.
Darn, this is deep, very deep! Coming full circle -- i can see the ring as an ending and beginning.
ReplyDeleteI always plant where I want to bloom ... seems to me your poetry is getting beautifully raw!
So much symbolism and beautiful imagery, Sandy, this is a marvellous poem! I like the bit of humour too in the walking daffodils.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this one; I've read it a few times through and like it better each time. Bookmarked!
what a prizewinner - really superb
ReplyDeleteand 'washed blew swam' is amazing because it truly describes the mysterious ways of daffs
very very deep indeed. the metaphor here is used in the rightest sense.
ReplyDeleteWonderful metaphors, circle of life, circle of the ring, circle of the seasons... This one is complex and an incredible enigma, Sandy!
ReplyDeleteI have been reading some of the 'prompt' poetries..
ReplyDeleteI always loved the way you took on them, very much in concert with realities of life...
and this one was just lovely, Sandy
wishes,
devika
wow, beautiful poem full of images and depth. looking back you will understand this time will result in a stronger "you" as you look for new growth and seek new areas to bloom in. don't give up on love-it is always waiting and not all companions are lacking in integrity...I know your pain-many of us do and have survived and thrived.
ReplyDeleteThis one is a prize, Sandy--
ReplyDeleteI really loved the punch of it.
I know that circle too, I live it.
And I think the dang daffodils do walk/stalk.
Thanks for breathing with us...you are loved by so many!
I love the way you put that.
ReplyDeleteStunning...this evoked such powerful feelings and images. Beautiful!!
ReplyDeleteI agree with the comments above, this one is very deep. I don't know if I'm understanding what you are trying to convey Sandy. Love the imagery though.
ReplyDeleteHugs and Happy Birthday OSI. Thanks for all your wonderful work. You continue to inspire me, day by day. G
And this is why I left you the surprise that I did over at my place! Your words...your pictures...powerful...perfect!
ReplyDeleteMaybe those daffodils couldn't "come up for air" with that ring planted there...
ReplyDeleteI love the images in this! I'll never look at those wandering daffodils in my yard in quite the same way again!
Oh yes, you can bloom where you damn well please. Beautiful work this.
ReplyDeleteYou make your divorce sound less horrible and more hopeful than most. I'm sure that is what I really love about you, what I relate to most of all. Your glass is always at least half full. And isn't that grand?!
ReplyDeleteoh, Sandy. One of the many wonderful things I get from this gem of a poem is the contrast between the artificial human made "perfection" of the ring, with the wonderfully messy, erratic cycles of living things (including our individual lives)which like the daffodils refuse to "stay put." There is loss here, but also so much hope and joy.
ReplyDelete(I am open to anything). Your parenthetical line following the musings on the methods of daffodil migration is just perfect. And fraught with hope. And possibility.
ReplyDeleteMany years ago I walked away from a marriage. I was open to anything. And what a difference that made!
Blessings.
this photos can tell a lot of stories. just in that one shot.
ReplyDeletelive and breathe the free air of love!
ReplyDeleteOh Gosh, Sandy, you hit a nerve with this one. I lost my ring in the bottom of a lake (Dam B in East Texas) and it was the first part of ... (good news).
ReplyDeleteAbout five years later Mrs. Jim found me and things have been sooooo much better!
Your circle will complete itself, just wait. Maybe alone or perhaps with a person (like Mrs. Jim) you were not even looking for.
..
BTW, metallic rings tossed very seldom take root and grow with the flowers.
..
As always Sandy, beautiful. Loved it.
ReplyDeletelove-bd
Wow, this one touched a spot for me. "To bloom where they damn well pleased." I like this...I like all of it. Great words and beautiful image.
ReplyDeleteI love your ending lines:
ReplyDelete'Or perhaps they walked
(I am open to anything)
To bloom where they damn well pleased.
That's the circle I know about
I watch it take shape every year
As I too try to come up for air.'
Very wry and wise and even optimistic.
Mysterious. Wide open circle of life, beginnings, endings, restarts and life.
ReplyDeleteHappy blogiversary to OSI - you're doing a terrific job!
I have given a couple of those rings a toss. Much more reliable depending on the circle of life as a whole.
ReplyDeleteThe daffodil bud shows great promise of wonderful things to come.
Your poem is wonderful
ReplyDeleteor is it a tale
thank you
and your photo, ummmm
Seems like a lot more than just a ring was shed. Or is it planted? Seeded? It almost seems like the ring acted as a revitalizer or encouragement for the flowers.
ReplyDeleteYou are as talented with words as photos! My husband threw his ring (from previous marriage) out in the middle of desert. :)
ReplyDeleteWow Sandy- interesting ideas in a very creative introspective verse~ it really made me think!
ReplyDeleteYeah, love the bit about (I am open to anything) the humour of frusteration, perhaps!
ReplyDelete..a beautiful,big hearted poem..many thanks..
ReplyDeleteBrilliant and beautiful!
ReplyDeleteIt appears as the daffodils renew each Spring...so do you and I admire the strength I see here.
ReplyDeleteOutside of one circle(ring) and growing well within a circle of your own making.
A beautiful poem.
Sandy-your talent continues to amaze me. This one was so strong and powerful-I have chills and I have the vivid image of it all in my mind. Just WOW!
ReplyDeletesigh; spring - just around the corner.
ReplyDeleteWhat a deep round of life you write about!
ReplyDeleteForgot to say I saw my first blooming crocus today! Can spring be far off? Although the weatherman did say we might get snwo this weekend. . .
ReplyDeleteI love the image of the ring tossed into the soft earth, and the discovered daffodils blooming. Perhaps we are often unaware of the seeds we sow, and how they can be blessed! Lovely!
ReplyDeletevery beautiful!
ReplyDeleteSandy, you reveal your heart with such honesty and openness in this poem. Many of us can relate, I am sure. Beautifully crafted.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being here.