The sculptor bid me grieve.
So, I contemplated death
In all its diverse ways
How I feel when they leave
~
Casting my glance below,
Memories of my mother
Flooded my heart’s hidden home.
I allowed tears to flow
~
Contemplating my dad,
Brought me to many years back
The pain of a little girl
A wordless kind of sad
~
The grieving will see me
Through the veil of forlorn tears
As they journey through the years
In a cemetery.
~
Bidding farewell but only for now.
~~~~
© Carol Campbell
From Lillian,
So – for today’s poetics – pick a sculpture, preferably a human form, and do one of the following:
- Take on the persona you imagine this being to have and write as if you were the person, telling us your “back story,” or what you’re thinking during the posing, or tell us what’s happening to you in the time after the sitting — whatever you share, do it in the voice of that sculpture.
- Or, be the artist having a conversation with the subject, either before, during or after the sculpting.
- Or, be the sculpture and suddenly come to life now – talk to us!
In other words, in some way, breathe life into the sculptor’s subject!
❤ ❤ ❤
Beautiful!!!! Not easy…but a most therapeutic exercise for anyone….Hugs! ❤
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Thank you!
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“The sculptor bid me grieve” Such a profound statement here — and I can somehow feel this sculpture feeling, saying this to us. I also really like the reference to the veil she is wearing and relating it to the tears — and also “casting my glance below” — many times the sculptor does a casting first — a model if you would. So these words fit ever so subtly with the idea of the sculpture in terms of its essence and its feelings. I find the “dappling” / erosion on the sculpture so interesting in this one — perhaps the tears have flowed so heavily that they marked her over time….
So very well done.
So very interesting to see through all these readings, which sculpture is chosen and how the poet becomes the sculpture. Thanks so much for participating in this one —
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Thank you very much, Lillian! I enjoyed digging into this one!
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…and it shows! 🙂
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🙂
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So beautifully done dear Carol, your words held such emotion.. Thank you my friend. xx love to you
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Grateful, dear Sue!
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This is wonderful… so much is said between the sculptor and the model… so visible in the result.
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Thank you, Bjorn!
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It’s like having a conversation..and I like that the farewell is not the end here. 😉
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Thank you, Kathy!
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i specially like the veil metaphor…such grief and love…
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Thank you, Sumana!
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How mournful. How beautiful. Lovely work, Carol.
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Thanks so much, De!
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Such a beautifully emotive write, Carol
Big hugs to you! ❤ ❤
Lots of love,
Sanaa
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Thank you, Sanaa!
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You have captured the wholeness of love, as has the sculptor. The Blessed Mother is both thinking and grieving, as we each do, thinking of a loved one.
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Very true. Grief is a part of life!
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So sad, and so unfair. Why should she be trapped in endless grief? Let her lift her head and smile. x
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Yes!! 🙂
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Love the sadness and uplifting ending line. The grieving is palpable.
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Thanks so much, Grace!
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Your poem reveals the necessity of grief… beginning stanza and the last line are especially poignant.
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Thank you! Experience is the best teacher! 🙂
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Awwee… the voices in your poem are hauntingly beautiful! Beautifully penned, Carol.
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Thank you, Maria!
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My pleasure! ☺️ Have a great weekend~
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Grief seems to let us find parts of ourselves that have hidden and remain as such. It is our duty to free them. Your words do exactly that.
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So true! Thank you!
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The sculptor bid me grieve. What a poignant opening line! A tender and touching poem.
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Thank you!
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Truer words have never been penned:
“The grieving will see me
Through the veil of forlorn tears
As they journey through the years
In a cemetery.” That stanza cuts deep but promises relief eventually.
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Oh yes! Thank you!
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You’re welcome 🙂
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This is a fantastic poem. It moved me so much as I recalled grief over lost loved ones over the years. Thank you for sharing your poetic gift.
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Thank you for the nice comment!
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absolutely sstunning. if we did not no grief, how could we know joy?
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absolutely stunning!! if we did not no grief, how could we know joy. Kudos!!
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Statue at Death’s door..
iF only more could live
the moment of death and
have a second chance.. i more
lucky than most.. experience
this three nows in 1liFE.. Love
IS All that counts 1..2.. when tHe
cLocK airS TwELve1..
iT’s true
thAT as wE
statueS in
Form noW..
take with uS
as Eternal LiFe..
Been tHere donE iT Now.
yes.. tHree nows2.. and perhaps
i’Ve just gone to heLL and back
to HeaVen three nows now..
anyWay.. one thing i kNow
for sUre noW
HeaVen
IS A FEarless
LovE noW..:)
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I believe that about heaven too! 🙂
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SMiLes..
And thanks
My friEnd..:)
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❤
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Sometimes I have pondered why we were given the ability to love so deeply only to lose those we love.
This line really hit me….”a wordless kind of sad”. You have expressed grief in a beautiful way.
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Thank you, Mish!
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Carol!!! Look at all the comments here that you so much deserve! Good for you! These words just tore at my breast for I know grieving only too intimately right now. Beautifully penned and thought out, my friend! Thank you! ❤
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It poured out from my experience as well! Thank you, dear heart! ❤
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An experience we’ve all had Carol, yet for each of us it’s deeply different. Lovely write.
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Thank you, dear Bekkie!
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You are very welcome!
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Carol, this is so mournful in a very beautiful way. One thing that struck me was the almost-abruptness of the last line–starkness that hits home.
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Thank you, Victoria!
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The opening line and the closing line….beautiful write this is.
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Thanks so much!
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So profound, Carol…a piece of your soul ❤
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Thank you, Lorrie!
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