In the Garden

poulakose

Breast and bone unbounded
Consumed by shadowed edges
Veneer ribs split wide open
Abdomen of dirt and moss
Lilacs bloom across the chest
Churning green and liberated
Vines climb across stone skin
Parasites flourish and devour
Layers of life upon decay

22 thoughts on “In the Garden”

  2. know what i like .,.. ? 15 of the 41 words you
    used in this piece are nouns … things … things that
    create ‘sigt’ … light within the
    mind of the reader …. i read so many poems full of
    esoteric bullshit words and phrases … so little ”light”

    i think that, in your work there is a
    balance between three forces that work so well
    together … light … powerful ‘describers of the light’ and
    the thoughts that you weave around images magnified … …

    even if i don’t grasp your meaning .. on first reading … all that i SEE makes it so
    enjoyable … i love reading your shit !……, ks

    wull …. why else is there a comment section … ?? =

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    1. You’ve given me more insight into my writing than I had myself. I try so hard to be an effective writer and to really stir up sensation and emotion. From what you’ve said, I must be doing something right.

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  4. before i read the title i finally came to the
    conclusion that you were writing about earth, soil, decay, the endless
    cycle … ribs split .,. decayed logs, trees, humans! .. abdomens of
    dirt … abdomen .. heart .. life, …

    what was living returns liberating more
    life … vines across stone skin .,.. break apart solid
    rock, frozen earth liberated …everything returns .,.. life, death, decay, resurrection, life (NOT speaking of conventional religion … don’t get me wrong) blah blah blah … not able to express myself too well tonight …had a post ready but didn’t want to
    embarrass myself … so … tonight goes unwritten ….

    i’ll share with you my favorite quote … a thought that contains for me … the answer to every question … the mystery of life … the form of existence …

    ” … We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploration will be to arrive where we started and know that place for the first time … ” T.S. Elliot ..

    says it all for me … especially … return to the light of the child … where we started … after living in the darkness of time … knit the two together … and finally ‘know’ …. ks

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    1. T.S Eliot is amazing. The line “I will show you fear in a handful of dust” from The Waste Land is my favorite line from any poem.
      Anyway, thank for taking the time to read and share your interpretation of my poem. Nice work!

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      1. i’ll have to give that one some thought … maybe in context would help … .,.. traveling two weeks ago fro florida to michigan jodi read the waste land to me … impressive … wow … but do you know stephe king based his three part (i think) Gunslinger series on the Wastelad … and dylan made reference and it’s in a jimi hendrix song too … my favorite line in a song is . .. ” they’re all sharing a drink called lonliness well it’s better than drinking alone … ” … billy joel … can’t think of the name of the song … listen .. you write beautifully … really beautiful .. crisp and clear and so well defined … god … the perfect blend of words, thought and what i like to call ‘light” … sometimes ”what you are trying to say” is a afterthought to the way you say it … passage of beautiful, ugly, interesting, strange, compelling, repulsive, sexy, love filled, sensual, mysterious images … with a little mythology thrown in every once in a while to make things interesting … wull … i’m perseverating … some day i’ll ask you if you are getting a lot of positive feed back from people who count …. do you write fiction .. prose … ?? whatever … i’m a compulsive talker so i’ll go now .. take care … love your work … ks

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      2. The Waste Land has so many layers of meaning, it’s incredible. The line I quoted is about fearing death, but it makes more sense in the poem.
        I do write short stories, but my poetry is better. I’m not very good at developing an interesting plot or compelling characters, but I do work at it. Also, I don’t share my writing very often with people I know.
        Thank you for your comments.

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      3. ummmmm …. don’t share with people you know… ? for me … i want to share with family … especially when i’m excited about something i’ve written. i’m usually offended by their lack of willingness to let me share with them … don’t know why this is …. it’s hurtful … so i share with bloggers … i’ve been writing quite a while … started blogging a year and a half ago .. did nothing to promote myself … had very few followers . still don’t have many but i’d rather write than do the requisite social networking …. lately i’ve been trying harder … i like to comment … really comment … when i read something worth commenting on … i refuse to ”like” someone who likes me … if i don’t actually like their writing which is sad sometimes because i appreciate some of their allegiance but i can’t stand their bleeding heart love poems or the ecstasy they (wish they’d) feel from their religious experiences …. which is such bullshit … wishful thinking like … if i write about feeling the ultimate rapture enough … i’ll leave my body and be the person i’ve always wanted to be … . i can’t believe the clap trap i read about love …. like notes passed between classes … whoops … sorry … don’t want to rant ….. you said you felt like you were writing in a vacuum (didn’t you) and I absolutely know the feeling. i refused to do anything to promote myself for so long … now i realize you have to do SOMETHING to reach people . ok so now i have like 220 followers .. pretty puny when you consider that others blogging for a year and a half have tens of thousands …. i don’t really understand since, the shit that some of these people write … wull …. i just don’t get it unless everyone is going around ‘liking’ everybody so that they ”like” them ’round and ’round and ’round ….. everyone looking for bigger and bigger numbers … me? i’d rather know that there are a few people i really respect who are reading me on a regular basis…. hey … i don’t really know what i’m trying to say at this point except i have enough respect for your writing and i get the feeling that you experience the same kind of frustration that i do … even though i’m ambivalent about it … caring one minute and not caring the next … i could go on but i won’t … but i have to tell you in all confidence … in the last year and a half i only received … i don’t have the numbers here .. but … like MAYBE 12 comments … all of which were fairly meaningless … the most meaningful one was … ”this is fun… ” which to me was a big deal because there are so many meanings to the word ”fun” .. you know … joy … happiness … remembrances of good times … maybe even something spiritual …. so at times it’s a little heartbreaking for me …. like … unrequited love …. especially since i try to be so honest with people …. hey ! isn’t that what the ”comment’ section is for ??? it’s not just to lick someone’s boots is it? (you’re great blah blah blah … ). wull ….. i know you haven’t commented on my work but that’s ok because you are so terrific … but could you do me a favor ?? could you do me a favor … tell me why you think people are so loathe to make a comment about what i write ?? even when i’ve written something that i KNOW is special and funny and different?? i mean … maybe everyone feels the same way i feel … or they’re just content watching their numbers grow or …….. whatever ??? it seems so … cold ….. . don’t people know how to express their feelings to other people if they’ve experienced something special ?? like … not just … ‘i love this piece … ” but, i love this piece because because and because … and i think …. ”. …… i picked up on something when you wrote that you don’t share your writing with people you know … i don’t know why you mentioned this but it tells me something about you .. something about being a sensitive soul who might be experiencing the same kind of frustration as me …. …….. wull … before i end this rant … and thank you for allowing me to do it … (even though you didn’t have much of a choice) … would you please do me a favor … would you please comment on the last several pieces i wrote? i’m desperate for feedback … . … (so there was method to my madness, huh? … nawww … i just trust you … ) and to tell you truth … i believe in your work … your work is a breath of fresh air to me …. all the things i’ve said before … crisp and clear but with weaving interesting thoughts … interesting thoughts showcased within crisp images … but, there is also a sense of confidence and power within them … some knowledge that’s on the edge … .. yes … the writer of these pieces has a sense of their own power and potential … how’s that … .. …………. what i’d like to propose is .,… i will continue to comment on what you have written because rather than feeling like you are writing in a ”vacuum” you’d like feedback too … and i’d like to give it to you … and me? i’d like it if you could comment …from time to time … DONT FEEL OBLIGATED … ONLY IF YOU WANT TO BECAUSE YOU THINK THERE’S A REASON TO… to me. you know .. i just want to KNOW … is that too much to ask? (rhetorical question … ) i hope you understand… do you understand … ? wull … i’d read you anyway …. thanks . ks

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      4. I understand what you mean. I’ll comment on some of your pieces. Honestly, the only reason I haven’t is because your writing seems so confident. I felt like you knew what you were doing and wouldn’t want someone to just come along and say something meaningless. When I comment it’s normally something lame like what you said other people do. But I can be a bit more genuine with you, because you’re so open towards me. I do enjoy your feedback so much, and maybe I will try harder to share my writing with the people I know.

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  7. There is an immediacy about this poem. I am a gardener and a poet, and many times the two intertwine. So I really appreciate what you have done in this poem. Image after image after image. The reader is actually there. Thank you. One of the things I find most hopeful and restorative things about gardening actually occurs in the rebirth and resurrection of spring. I have a forthcoming chapbook which includes the title poem Perennial. I don’t know if I’ve posted it. If not, I probably will shortly since this is the time of year that I begin planning my garden so I’m not overtaken by the notion that bitter cold will never end : ) I look forward to following you and your work. Take care.
    Sally

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    1. Thank you for your comment, I really do appreciate it. I worked very hard to get the right imagery for this poem and, based on your comment, I must have done alright. I look forward to reading your writing as well. Thank you again!

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