Fossil bone, a maiden’s cliff
throwing ghosts in the stalactites
there, my ocean is there, and I will die with the thorn in my side;
abyssal shadows are empty, sandstone splits at my cheek,
look at the full-bodied ocean, their fish bones below
the memorial, from so close, I can stand upon the ocean’s bosom,
her white waves upon my fingers
O’ death can make them primitive to infancy—
caving inside the womb, the knot which spreads
across my chest, the umbilicus of our ghosts
like desert sands into the undressing throat
in the frost; if you undress me, this dance has nothing left
the needing none more than a folly from nature,
it dispels its whispers to the mocking bird
bleeding at its neck, which oft turned away
from lips beneath the congeries
avoiding the sea in spindrift edge,
as half-forgotten stones link to the caitiff of hibernations,
we need no more to say as we fall to the black thorns
for other worlds will be our last cankered dark
I will die in the abyssal
Before you, the ocean rises; I sought the tides.
© 2020 lucysworks.com All Rights Reserved.
Written for the dVerse prompt: Write a poem using the word folly in it.
As you can see, I’m quite the romantic.
Smoldering and intense! “the umbilicus of our ghosts” and “the needing none more than a folly from nature” are my two favorite lines.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lisa, thank you so much!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are welcome.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wonderfully evocative and suggestive, I especially like ‘if you undress me, this dance has nothing left’ — a bit of seven veils stuff here, perhaps. Well done.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you dearly, Milly. ❤
LikeLike
This is deliciously dark and enthralling, Lucy! I love; “I can stand upon the ocean’s bosom,
her white waves upon my fingers/O’ death can make them primitive to infancy.” 💝
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you very much, Sanaa.
LikeLike
Ah, you went with the romance of the ocean, Lucy! I love that you made her female in the lines:
‘look at the full-bodied ocean
… I can stand upon the ocean’s bosom,
her white waves upon my fingers’
and the birth imagery in:
‘caving inside the womb, the knot which spreads
across my chest, the umbilicus of our ghosts’.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I really did. A dark ending in the romance, but a romance nevertheless. Thank you. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Amazing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love this romance… I can almost feel that you were touched by the illicit affair and the romance that resulted in the folly of the prompt… the sea is so present so I can almost imagine that the mistress is the sea here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was indeed impacted by the rumored affair between the Earl-Bishop and Frideswide. Thank you so much for the lovely comment.
LikeLike
Love is like an ocean…in ghosts, in waves, in our bones. Powerful, Lucy.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Lynn!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Like being in her mind, understanding her thoughts of all that awaits as she stands at the edge, and waiting for that final step.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes! That is exactly the meaning of this poem. Thank you. ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Death at 22, dark and delicious, illicit love, mantled in lust can be thorny. Your path to the prompt is still (wonderfully) or (wonderfolly) uniquely You, cajoled and caressed into widow’s weeds, and a wife’s fury, whereupon a love temple became a sad and foolish monolith.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so very much!
LikeLike
Lucy,
That she is so caught in the toils of love to such an extent, that even sure death cannot defeat it, is wonderfully conveyed here. I love this phrase: “spindrift edge.” Beautiful.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much, Dora. ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
As the oceans carve fossils from the dunes … so will be out fate!! Well done Lucy!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
kaykuala
their fish bones below the memorial,
from so close, I can stand upon the ocean’s bosom,
her white waves upon my fingers
Great wordcraft Lucy. The above resonates with Hank. The folly of it all. Love it!
Hank
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much. 🙂
LikeLike
Two thumbs up, WAY up
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! 😀
LikeLike
“if you undress me, this dance has nothing left”
I feel like this poem is capturing the end game of this love affair. The ocean takes everything and your words are beautifully haunting as always!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes! Thank you so very much, Tricia. ❤ ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
an intense romance … not sure if it’s the young one or his monument to her about to fall into that ocean. An ultimate end to any romance, and the start of an even greater fantasy of what might have been …
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much! I wrote with both of them in mind, but mainly with the rumored romance between the Earl-Bishop and Frideswide. Added with the temple so close to the edge, I thought it symbolized quite greatly how intense infatuation can be. With the illicit affair, it was destined to end from the start, but it ultimately ended in the young woman’s death.
LikeLiked by 1 person
yes such a tragedy, well written Lucy!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Darkly, deliciously romantic – romancing death itself!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you very much!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This was a more satisfying read to me than some of your poems because it has a thread of meaning running through it that corresponds to the atmosphere. The very jagged and savage imagery is exactly right for crashing waves on cliffs and violent death.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much, Jane. I’m extremely happy to hear that. 😊
LikeLike
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I see the ghosts like mirrored shadows–perfect for a raging sea of emotions. (K)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you.
LikeLike
Love the title (would like to borrow it) and the undress verse most. Very good poem to me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much. I’m really glad to hear that! Feel free to use the title. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks a lot 🙂 and I wanted to add : what an opening…
LikeLiked by 1 person
❤
LikeLike
Oh, your work always blows me away, Lucy! So much rich and romantic imagery. Ocean love is my favorite 🌊💙 Truly a delight to read!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Katy, thank you dearly. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautiful Lucy, intense love..
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love the umbilicus of our ghosts and the undressing throat.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! Glad you liked those lines.
LikeLike
This is amazing. Well done.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, TJ.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow amazing choice of words. Loved it 😍
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much!
LikeLiked by 1 person
your welcome:)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolutely stunning. It is filled with wordy language, yet doesn’t come off as pretentious. It flows like a river of thought. Like if Kerouac and Emily Dickinson somehow made a baby. ☺️
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you very much, Malinda. I’m flattered at such compliment!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is a well earned compliment. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people