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Tuesday 17 April 2012




Red Roofs by Chagall

Prompt from The Mag. Find them at http://magpietales.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/mag-113.html

................................................................................................................

Paths float above the roof tops, birds assume
a lover's alter ego.
Red tiles are precious stones along the way,
wild flowers stand in for love's bouquets.
Look at the flowers,
will you but call them cultured?
Are they not wild?
How will you tell?
The difference is as between a dream and reverie.

Starred crystals spangle earth
as much as ever they did sky.

Along these paths the lovers meet or part
or wander hand in hand.
Old men who in their youth were birds,
who soared beyond their promise and their powers
in targeting their prey, now carry home
their ancient scrolls or groceries.

Their days of spiralling quite past, they always knew
the lightness could not last. Who now
will jeopardise safe earth and home
for what the eagle sees? But they did once -
and what they did, they do again in dream.

22 comments:

Jenny Woolf said...

Your lovely poem perfectly captures the atmosphere of this painting.

hyperCRYPTICal said...

Love it - love the old men and their groceries.

Anna :o]

Trellissimo said...

HIgh quality writing with some telling images, especially the "old men . . . with their ancient scrolls of groceries."

Mary said...

Yes...thank goodness for dreams and those memories. A beautiful write.

aprille said...

You are truly a poet.
To create something so lovely from that difficult picture is a strike of genius. It far outshines the painting in my view.

Actual Exams said...

Very nice poem.
Like the stuff written in too authentic words.
And the picture is too cool.
Actual Exams

Lolamouse said...

This is so lovely. I love the image of the old men and their groceries! And I'll be thinking about the difference between a dream and a reverie for a while too.

Brian Miller said...

ha...really nice...lovely verse...everyone seems to be hitting on the old men and their scrolls of groceries, i will admit as well it makes for a nice touch dave...dreams, hmm....

Anonymous said...

Wonderful melancholy...especially the last two stanzas...captured something perfect here. Well done. Vb

Silent Otto said...

Dream life is every bit as real and sustaining as " things of stone and wood"( for me anyway), great insight, Dave

Tess Kincaid said...

I like the lovely pastoral feel here...and the last line is so wonderful...

Helen said...

.. 'the difference is between a dream and reverie' ... my favorite line in this impressive poem!

Tumblewords: said...

So well captured. Haunting, poignant and reflective this piece travels well.

Other Mary said...

I don't think it gets any better than this Dave. Really.

Tommaso Gervasutti said...

Powerful poetic reflection on the force of dreams. I agree with versebender, the last two stanzas in partticular encapsulate the message.

Susie Clevenger said...

Dreams are sometimes all we have...a wonderful take on the image.

Anonymous said...

old men who in their youth were birds -> i like that. it's like a Native American myth/legend

:)

Kat Mortensen said...

Very nice! I like your use of the birds and also how you saw the scrolls/ groceries. In the foreground, I can't decide whether it's a horse and cart, or a fiddle on its side. The "spiralling" image is a great choice!

Carrie Van Horn said...

"Starred crystals spangle earth"....what a beautiful line Dave! :-)

Strummed Words said...

Very nice - the past as seen by present eyes.

Dave King said...

Jenny
Thank you. Really encouraging to receive such comments.

hyperCRYPICal
Thanks for saying.

Trellissimo
Great to have your comment. Thank you for it.

Mary
Agreed. And much thanks.

aprille
Wow, what a commendation! Thank you so much!

Actual Exams
Hi and a warm welcome to my blog. Thank you for stopping by to comment. Much appreciated.

Lolamouse
On second thoughts, maybe you'd do better to focus on the old men! Thanks.

Catfish Tales
Mmmm, me too! Good to have you visiting and much thanks for commenting.

Brian
Yes, point taken. Thank you for saying.

versebender
Hi, and welcome. Good to have you aboard. My thanks for your kind comments.

Kutamun
Thank you for saying so. And a big thank you for visiting and for commenting. Always good to have another's thoughts.

Tess
Thank you for this.

Helen
This is especially good to hear as I had doubts about it after posting. Thanks for the vote of confidence.

Tumblewords
Thanks as ever. Good to hear.

Other Mary
Wow! "Thanks" doesn't seem enough!

Tommaso
Something I'd not really been aware of, but good to have had pointed out.

Susie
True,very true - and thanks for the compliment.

zongrik
Yes, I see that, though it hadn't occurred until you said.

Kat
Thanks Kat. I thought it was a horse and cart. Hadn't thought of a fiddle, but I do se what you mean.

Carrie
Thanks for saying this. Good to have your visit.

Strummed Words
A warm welcome to you and sincere thanks for the apt comment.

Ygraine said...

Aah,
Memories and dreams!
Who knows where the one ends and the other begins?
Such an incredibly beautiful and evocative poem :)