Tuesday, February 7, 2012

BLED


“The heart is the only broken instrument that works.” - T. E. Kalem
Magpie Tales has presented to us this week with an image of a grave at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow. It is the grave of Aleksandr Nikolayevich Bakulev (1890 - 1967) who was a Soviet surgeon, one of the founders of cardiovascular surgery in the USSR, and his wife, Valentina Petrovna Bakuleva (1904 - 1990). The image of the hands holding the ruby-red heart is both apposite, given the métier of Bakulev, and striking in terms of artistic appeal. The image of heart and ruby was a strong prompt.

Bled

My heart last night was bled
The drops of blood, gout by gout extracted,
Falling like pomegranate grains
On barren soil.

Seeds of precious ruby
On rocky, drought-stricken land were thrown –
Pearls cast before the swine,
Such wasted toil.

My curious exsanguination
Casually observed by silent spectators,
Puzzled by my libations, mindless of the labours of
My midnight oil.

And yet the heart will fill again,
The pallid body will with rose blooms be coloured,
Ready for yet another sacrifice –
Again and yet again,
Until my final breath expires,
Until I shuffle off
This mortal coil

12 comments:

Cad said...

The pallid body will with rose blooms be coloured,

Just like the hearts on by-pass I see on TV! Full marks for your version of the image as well as your words.

HyperCRYPTICal said...

Brilliant words!

Isn't it wonderful what you can learn from The Mag (?)- until researching I had not known of Aleksandr.

Anna :o]

Jacqui Binford-Bell said...

Falling like pomegranate grains

What a wonderful image.

Ann Grenier said...

Love it: "Hail to the jewel in the lotus"

Helen said...

Incredible! Your poem and the enhancement of the image.

Sue said...

Well done. My favorite part is "curious exsanguination."

=)

Berowne said...

Face it, Nicholas V, you can write!

Jingle Poetry At The Gooseberry Garden said...

love it, you can do very outstanding job, smiles.

demie said...

"Falling like pomegranate grains
On barren soil "

... I don't think I'll ever forget this sentence

demie said...

"Falling like pomegranate grains
On barren soil "

... I don't think I'll ever forget this sentence

Tess Kincaid said...

This is beautiful...and it works on a certain level as a tribute to Bakulev, as well...

Lolamouse said...

I love the image of the pomegranate grains as well! Your interpretation of the prompt was remarkable, and I learned something as well! Thank you!