In the Silence After the Rain
Beneath
the wide and starry sky
Together
we lie, my lover and I
In
the mists that follow the rain
With
soft caress and fleeting sigh
Our
love we give, our life to die
In
the silence after the rain
Word: Silence
Question: What's your favorite season?
Ascetic Verses
Bare
the wall that held the door
Coarse
the wood and cold the floor
Upon
the stones he stood and prayed
While
all around the demons played
A
silent war, a hidden rage
For
souls they fought upon the stage
For
priests and brothers, sisters, daughters
Sons
and mothers, virgins, lovers
For
holy sinners, drunks and whores
Dramas
won on silent shores
Battles
joined for hidden stores
The
ascetic fights a wordless war
Word: Ascetic
Question: Dare I enter?
+JMJ+
ReplyDeleteIf you hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have thought the first poem was unfinished as much as strategically left hanging. But there are some poems or songs that go nowhere and are still beautiful--such as Lana Del Rey's Video Games.
The second poem is my favourite of these two. As Chesterton said, "The greatest of all poems is an inventory."
I like that the answers are so hidden in the poems that nobody can guess the questions unless they already know them. If you have a key, then you know to look for a lock; but if you have a lock, you don't always know if it needs a key.
Thanks for posting, Dauvit! =) I'm sure everyone else will be delighted to read these as well.
Yes, sir! Both of these poems are very fine, indeed. The first has a certain Yeatsian musicality, if I'm not phrasing it too oddly. But I think I share Enbrethiliel's preference for the second--the phrasing seems livelier; it fascinates immediately!
ReplyDeleteI think that "What's your favorite season?" may have been my question; I confess, I don't remember! But I'm enjoying the puzzle you've provided by your concealment of the answer!
Oh, I've been offline so much recently! (Just crazy-busy...) What a treat to come back and find both of these. I join the others in "voting" for the second, but that's mostly because monastic life captures my imagination for some reason. Both are lovely.
ReplyDelete