Wednesday 1 April 2015

POETRY JAM - THE FLAME

“Love cannot endure indifference. It needs to be wanted. Like a lamp, it needs to be fed out of the oil of another's heart, or its flame burns low.” - Henry Ward Beecher

This week, Poetry Jam wants participants to write about “the flame”. A broad topic to be sure, and whether one chooses to be literal or figurative, there are countless possibilities. Here is my contribution:


Our Love’s Flames

In the depths of my abyss
And my endless, lonely night,
I remember a sweet kiss
And the flames of love’s delight.

In the desert of my strife
In the coldness of my soul,
I recall our happy life
And the warmth that made us whole.

In the roiling seas ice-cold
And the Winter’s howling storm,
Long past Spring of old
I yearn, and the fire of Summer warm.

In a dark, dejected place
Hungry, thirsty and forlorn,
I seek you, of endless grace,
Come, remove my heart’s deep thorn.

In the Autumn greyness drear
And my freezing blood’s despair,
I await you to come by near
All my damage to repair.

Come again, and heal my pain,
Blow the ash off my cold grate;
Light my fires, fan my flames,
Tell me all was not in vain;
I was right to hope and wait,
Let us play our old love games.

13 comments:

  1. I like the rhythm reminiscent of happy time and sweet anticipation...

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  2. I can feel the heat and desire in this, it captivates the senses from the first line.

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  3. So many excellent images here along with an appealing rhythm. I like the way it ends with hope.

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  4. Nick, I think this is my favorite of your poems..ever. Love's flames can burn over the years...in all seasons...through the good and difficult times. May the flame always be bright!

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  5. Nicholas,

    Rather like watching a captivating film, I wanted a 'happy ever after,' ending..The journey through living and relationships is never easy; so many issues can fragment the love that was once there...Seasons are life itself.

    Eileen

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  6. I like your poem, Nick, particularly the last stanza and its inviting tone.

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  7. Wonderful poem with nicely contrasting images of absence/separation/coldness/loneliness and togetherness/heat/summer/flames

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  8. PS: The first stanza is just wonderful!

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  9. oh my, oh my this is so easily absorbed into my being, the longing is sincere and honestly communicated, you won my empathy and my appreciation

    much love...

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  10. Beautiful poem! I loved the contrasts and the season references worked well with the theme of love lost and love (hopefully) regained!

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  11. A redolent piece. The good times, the sadness, and the hope...Beautifully expressed!

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  12. There is tragic despair and then there is the small flame of hope. A moving poem.

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  13. I can always count on your work for strong imagery, and this one certainly did not disappoint. Beautifully done. I enjoyed the quotation from Henry Ward Beecher, too. He and his family are on my husband's family tree. I read Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" with new enthusiasm when I discovered that.

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