i)
snow is laying in thick
trees bend
branches snap
temple beams creak
power flickers twice
dies
tired monk keeps on
reading
by candle light
ii)
even the candles
die
red wax on the temple floor
tired monk strums
a few lost n'lonely chords
this old guitar has new strings
resonates deep
into the dark
This literally gave me that delightful goose-bump ripple as I read it! Love the imagery.
ReplyDeleteOh I love this so much........you took me right there, into that peaceful slightly lonely place. I heard the chords. Fantastic writing, Ollie!
ReplyDeleteYou set a sweet, contemplative mood with this. Plus, you're flexible! xo
ReplyDeleteahhhhh lost n'lonely, just how we like em.
ReplyDeleteI loved the temple beams creaking, and the red wax like blood...
ReplyDeletenice...makes me think of our dependency on electricity and how for some it would destroy their peace...not so the monk...smiles..
ReplyDeleteWith the weight of that snow lying on the temple beams, it's a wonder they don't snap like the tree branches. Maybe it's the holiness that keeps them whole.
ReplyDeleteOld Willow Woman
Through the silence of the snow those chords sound, surely through to the heart of God. I want new 'strings.'
ReplyDeletesnow, wax and guitars - what better way to contemplate? Great stuuf!
ReplyDeleteAh, the light dies....and then the candle dies...good thing the monk can play the guitar by feel. No light needed!
ReplyDeleteYou see... all we need is the will to restring the instrument!
ReplyDeleteYou've captured an interesting scene. The imagery and sound magnificent.
ReplyDeleteVery nice - perhaps it's appropriate that the new strings appear in winter, when we stand against the elements in hope of the promise of new life in the spring.
ReplyDelete"even the candles die" and yet some things play on "with new strings" even in the darkness... Ultimately an extraordinarily hopeful poem during difficult, uneasy times :)
ReplyDeletei like how you took us from the out-side in and then inner still
ReplyDeleteA somber winter feel to this. Nicely captured.
ReplyDeleteas always, tell.me.this.is.so. i need to know someone lives like this.
ReplyDeletexo
erin