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Wednesday 19 August 2020

#WEPff AUGUST - LONG SHADOW - my entry - Thoughts on a Dying Evening

Hello all!

Welcome to WEP for August, the prompt, Long Shadow. This past month I've been immersing myself in poetry. I believe poets are the cleverest of writers. The best prose is poetic. So I decided to go with a short entry using stimulus from three poets. You will recognize at least one, I'm sure.



Thoughts on a Dying Evening.

I walked in solitude down to the lake that fronted my cabin.

Evening shrouded me. The last gleam of sunshine faded on the hilltops, stabbing long fingers of shadow along the valley. 

Sunset’s last leaf of gold glimmered, vanished.

I sat. I watched. I meditated upon the sorrows of the world, upon the oppression and pain.

People out for their nightly stroll walked by with a harsh bewildered rhythm. There is something in this landscape that dries the speech in your throat.

The solemn coloring of night drew on, the seep serene of the gumtrees, the long shadows of the mountains thrown across the grey trunks, dimly visible as they touched the farthest shore, the prancing harbor.

The voluptuous smooth hills beckoned and taunted. They have not a care.

Unlike me.

I wished for the moon, but she was dark to me, silent, hidden in her vacant interlunar cave.

I sat until the stars spread smatterings of diamond dust across the universe. I absorbed the agony without end.

It is time. 

I wrenched open the door to my cabin. Fisted the remote. Flicked on the news.

Same sad story. We can’t go back. We can’t move on.

The pandemic has cast a long shadow. But unlike the shadows from the setting sun, this long shadow will not disappear come evening.


WORDS: 225
FCA

REFERENCES:

Thomas Gray - poet
Craig Powell - poet
Walt Whitman - poet


TWO ADDITIONAL QUOTES:

The end of the day is near when small men make long shadows. Confucius

When Small People Caste Tall Shadows, It's Evening Time

You can't anticipate history. It's only when you look back you see what the Romans did, and what various other empires did, what the British Empire did. We're now beginning to see the long shadow that it created, so one must be hopeful and say that what's going on in Asia, that what's going on in the Middle East, that all these various areas of conflict, that they will pass and move onto another area. But it would seem that the natural order of things is there is this cyclic behavior of destruction followed by a calm period. Roma Tearne

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48 comments:

  1. I love this, Denise. You used great word choices that really brought what you describe to life. And I loved the end where you tied it into the pandemic. Great job!

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  2. Powerful,poignant - and very beautiful.
    As expected.

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  3. I love your poem, Denise. Powerful and emotional and as gloomy as I feel at the moment.
    Love Confucius' quote too.

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  4. Wow. Fully blown. Especially, "Interlunar Cave" was a prize.
    Thanks for the quotes.

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  5. Beautiful! So relevant adn true. The shadow of this pandemic is a very long one

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  6. Very timely and the shadow definitely long and dark. Good work, Denise.

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  7. An intriguing take that captures the pandemic that is seen world wide. Well done, Denise.

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  8. Your poem painted a very vivid and picturesque scene. Absolutely loved it :)

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  9. Very clever, and profound. Well done.

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  10. Denise, you have captured the essence of the pandemic so eloquently here. Some beautiful imagery--particularly 'Sunset's last leaf of gold' and my favourite, 'stars spread smatterings of diamond dust across the Universe.' Lovely word pictures.

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  11. This was beautifully written! You set the scene well, and this piece was indeed lyrical.

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  12. I'm thrilled to see this poem! I feel like I should be sitting in your writing class! There is always so much to learn from you! Beautiful, just beautiful! Thank you!

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    1. Ah what tales we could write if we sat down together.

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  13. Beautifully written. I'm always impressed by how you are able to paint pictures with your words.

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  14. I loved how you Incorporated the pandemic into the long shadow. I'm wondering how come it never occurred to me that the pandemic is indeed the long shadow. Also, the quote by Confucius got me thinking. I loved your attempt at poetry. Very relevant and eloquent.
    Sonia from https://soniadogra.com

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    1. Thanks Sonia. It occurred to me right away sadly.

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  15. Melancholy. Profound. And moving. Sunset's last leaf of gold also reminded me of Robert Frost. And I am delighted of course to read a poetry entry at the challenge!

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    1. Love Frost but wasn’t inspired by him write this but I do see his influence.

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  16. The beauty of your words had me sighing with pleasure. '...stabbing long fingers of shadow...'what a word smith you are. The pandemic definitely casting a long shadow and it takes an act of courage daily to read or listen to the news. I thought of Wordsworth too - I wandered lonely as a cloud... except that the mood of Daffodils is very different.

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  17. Thanks Denise. Preciously captured. ‘Smatterings of diamond dust’. Yes , what we can only hope for and look for ... the silver lining ... the glass half full, not empty .... Poetry is bliss, to read and write. Happy WEP week. Susan from Toulouse.

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  18. Oh I thoroughly enjoyed your take on this joining it with the pain and reality of today. I especially liked this line of yours, it just spells out my own feelings so absolutely clear. You wrote, People out for their nightly stroll walked by with a harsh bewildered rhythm. There is something in this landscape that dries the speech in your throat.

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    1. I felt that strongly. Glad it spoke to you.

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  19. I really like this. I felt Whitman easily, though was dispointed that Frost was not credited (thought I felt him too). Either way, this piece made me feel and relate. Nicely done. Hooray for poetry!

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    1. I didn't acknowledge Frost, as I didn't read him for this entry. But I see where his influence lies. I love his work and have been exposed to it a lot, so his influence has seeped in. Yes, hooray for poetry!

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  20. Oh love it Denise! What fabulous word smithing. You really are an artist, working the story with intermittent fine and rough strokes. Great entry.

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  21. Hi,
    I have to admit when I read the first four lines, I thought of Sir Alfred Lord Tennyson. He is one of my most favourite poets.
    Very engaging and a refreshing.
    Shalom aleichem,
    Pat Garcia

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    1. Thanks Pat. I’m going to read more of his.

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  22. Very enjoyable poem. And yeah, this pandemic needs to end or get under better control or something.

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  23. Thanks Denise for inserting my link ... I briefly looked - but obviously not seriously enough ... having seen the cut-off for the 22nd - I decided the long shadow had come down!

    This is brilliant - loved the poetic take ... and very clever to weave three poets ideas through the shadows of your writing. You've done really well - as Pat says - very engaging and refreshing.

    It's not going away ... too much else going on too which doesn't help.

    We need calm, time to think and not take sides - challenging ... all the best - and thanks once again - Hilary

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  24. Really nice work. I was sure sorry the voice grabbed that remote!

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