Sonnet of Pain

Confession time? When I wrote this, I kind of forgot how the structure of a Shakespearean sonnet was supposed to go. It’s ababcdcdefefgg, rather than abbacddceffegg- oops? I think I got it confused with the Petrarchan kind too, abbaabbacdecde. Messy, messy brain. Don’t even get me started on Spenserian sonnets. Jeez. 14 lines, 140 syllables, way too many ways to organize that nonsense.

Sonnet of Pain

Pain in my joints comes and goes like the tide
It swells and jabs at me, icy and burning
There is no relief with seasons changing
No calm sanctuary where I can hide.
A symphony of suffering for me
The rising and falling of storm-tossed waves
No blissful unconsciousness for me saves
From thundering blistering agony.
The crescendo builds, the water rises
Kettledrums in my bones and in my blood
I cannot keep my head above the flood
When all my joints are trapped in vises.
The symphony ends, the waters recede,
But pain never stops as soon as I need.

(C) Bridget Noonan, 2011, 2012.

The transition from autumn to winter was hard here. It went from mild to omg-wtf-it’sfreezing. This came out of that.

Grace

I like dictionaries. Confession time: I used to read our home dictionary for fun as a kid. Just picked a random spot and pored over it for hours at a time. I’m sure you’re surprised by my love of words. 😛

I have been thinking a lot about a particular word this week, thanks to Mumford and Sons’ song Roll Away Your Stone. So many meanings attached to it. Many emotions as well. I chose a couple to put here; the complete definition I found is quite long, and can be found here. Words are fascinating!

grace –n.

1. elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion or action;
3. favour or goodwill;
5. mercy; clemency; pardon;
9. moral strength;
12. The Graces, from Classical Mythology: known as the Charites to the Greeks, and as the Gratiae to the Romans.

Now, a poem for my lovely readers.

Grace

Floating elegance on tender wings
Takes my breath away, and yet
Bestows upon my sails a mighty wind,
Sends me reeling into open water.

I beg forgiveness for my scrutiny-
My eyes are unwilling to depart
From you: your easy manner, your
Favourable countenance, and long-limbed

Grace. You are Terpsichore,
Euterpe, and Erato combined;
What a muse I find in you!
Such delight in all I see.

You inspire the best in me, help me
To melt my thoughts and pour them
Into molds of honour, loyalty, truth:
With you, I am more than I thought I could be.

© Bridget Noonan, 2012.

June 22

This poem came out of a great night. From about one to two in the morning, there was a huge thunderstorm over my place. It was amazing. Haven’t done it justice, but this is as close as I could get. Nobody on the road, nobody out walking, just me communing with nature even in the city. Awesome.

June 22

Tonight,
The leaves are talking in their sleep
While raindrops soothe their slumber
And lightning promises vengeance
On the wind that disturbed them.

Now,
The storm begins in earnest
Thunder speaks in tongues over rooftops
Torrents of water drench the cracking pavement.

And I,
The weary traveller, crouch
In narrow doorways to watch
The many-textured sky split
By light, by sound, in solitude.

Life-
This is feeling alive!
In the midst of summer’s first downpour
I breathe raindrops, wet earth and thunder
My heartbeat the only reminder
That I am not cloud, or water, or earth
Or the tumultuous sky above.

Once more,
My page is lit by blue flashes
As I shield my notebook from the rain
And wonder at the fierce beauty around me.

© Bridget Noonan, 2011.

Sorry I haven’t been around much. Stuff going on. Life happens.

Bare

I had a crazy productive night. I was going to return my (sliiiightly overdue) library books, but then I saw the moon, and my good intentions went down the tubes. Cruised down to the lake to watch the moonlight dance on the water. Then I decided to go find a quiet stretch of ditch to park in far out of the city limits, where the world still smells alive and the crickets sang.

I needed it- needed to get away from people and their noise.

So I had to write a piku-style thingy, among other things that need a bit of spit ‘n’ polish before going up here.

Bare

we are bare,
full
of the moonlight;

we will dance
bare
in the water,

this empty
beach
our sweet escape.

night swimmers
dive,
silent and sure.

full moon night
hides
nothing from us

we swim, bare,
bathed
in healing light,

fearing no
thing
in the darkness

as long as
we
are together.

weightless, we
kiss
never fragile

hesitant?
no.
full moon watches

over us
while
we splash and laugh.

our steady
hands
on warm bodies

floating out
deep
abiding love

we are bare,
brave
women in love.

© Bridget Noonan, 2011.

You think I’m romantic now, just wait until I find a lady to write for/about. Jeez.

Three Word Wednesday Two-Fer

I thought I might mess around with that Fibonacci thing I did before. Since I spaced on last week‘s Three Word Wednesday, I figured, why not do both this week? Last week was erratic, luminous, and omen, and this week is alter, fond and tranquil.

Also, these might be a bit weird; I have Baba O’Riley by the Who stuck in my head, and I’m not sure if that’s related to the weird. It’s a good song, don’t get me wrong, but I’m usually more for Led Zeppelin than the Who.

Bottom of the Ocean

watch
out
for the
luminous
bait of the fearsome
anglerfish-  soothing light luring
its erratic  prey closer to the jaws of their doom.
it’s tough living at the bottom
of the ocean; see
omen of
rising
sea
heights.

© Bridget Noonan, 2o11.

Shakespeare Said It Best

Love allows no impediment to it,
Alters not with the changing winds. Instead,
It flows like rain from the heavens, collects
In our hearts, overflows in everything
We do.  Love is the bright sun in the sky,
Warming the seeds of fondness in this earth.
Turbulent seas calm in the face of love,
Stifling afternoons fade to tranquil nights.

© Bridget Noonan, 2011.

disappointed

disappointed

it was too much to hope
that someone could knead
my aching shoulders and back
after the day I had at work.

nearly melted from the heat
from the crush of customers,
my ears still ringing from the
overwhelming pandemonium.

so I stood in the shower,
head hung low in defeat,
while the pounding water
cleansed my aches instead.

© Bridget Noonan, 2011.

This is why I shouldn’t write poetry after a long day while feeling shitty. I get all morose.

Inspired by the prompt at Three Word Wednesday