Wednesday 1 October 2014

POETRY JAM - MAGIC


“The first magic of love is our ignorance that it can ever end.” - Benjamin Disraeli

“Magic” is the theme for this week’s Poetry Jam challenge - Let us explore the world of magic in our writing and all that it means to us.”
Here is my contribution:

Nocturne

O, what a moon tonight!
A perfect, limpid night,
This year’s first truly summer’s night!
And in the languid garden, just watered,
In the heavy, warm, wet, jet-black air
Streams golden moonlight
From a bright, full orb of a moon.

The still, thick air is rich with perfumes:
The heady honeysuckle and gardenia,
The devastating bouvardia,
(A hint of green poison lurking in its leaves);

Homely, honest lemon verbena,
Pennyroyal, spearmint, peppermint
(High notes of freshness),

With:
Solemn parsley, pungent fig,
Bitter crushed ivy underfoot,
And sweet, dreamy, dusty lavender
(Fresh sachets)…

Melding with shadows, a black dog
Barks up at the face in the moon;
Melting with moonlight reflection in the pond,
The distant chant of crickets.

Mixed with the magic of the night,
Echoing in the stillness of green-black leafy shadows,
Coalescing in water drops that trickle down wet foliage,
Is the sound of my soft footfall,
(In empty garden).

Gently around the paths between the sleepless beds,
My steps, gingerly
Tracing an endless, enchanted circle
Of mystic insomnia,
(My daydreams made real by magic of the night).

19 comments:

  1. Oh, how I envy you having your first summer night! With all its sights and sounds. I can just picture that black dog barking at the face of the moon. And I like the idea that daydreams can be made real by the magic of the night...oh that this magic could really happen! Wishing you many magical summer days ahead, Nick.

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  2. Very beautiful...could imagine that summer night. We just left those and have the crisp, cool nights now. But you brought me back to summer's beginning. Thanks!

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  3. What a beautiful summer night you have described. I particularly like the flora and its fragrances. A very sensual poem.

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  4. what a magical ambiance you've created in your lines Nick...the last stanza is exquisite with a light shade of sadness..love the double meaning used here so cleverly..

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  5. This is delightfully vivid and I wish I were there!

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  6. This is my very favourite kind of magic - your garden sounds beautiful and I love the photo accompanying it - plus the flowers on your banner. Very lovely!

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  7. Vivid and beautifully written, the loveliness of a summers night. Excellent

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  8. Lovely description of a summer night. The whole image really draws me in. Indeed the magic of a summer night.

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  9. the night does carry a bit of magic in it...the sounds...the potential when all else stills....the things we can not see that move ...the stars....

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  10. Nocturne garden - truly magical. Beautiful writing.

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  11. Gorgeous weather we are having at the moment. My place is full of sprigs of stephanotis..pure magic...so much of it around here where I live in the city.Your garden is indeed magical and your photo is wonderful. You have captured the magic of our spring in beautiful imagery. Enjoyed this .

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  12. A poem full of atmosphere and quiet melancholy, despite the beautiful descriptions of your moonlit garden. There is a sense of loneliness and a sense of distance from the beloved.

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  13. I love to feel the magic that is all around us... and you have described it beautifully.

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  14. A garden affords a riot of colourful and scented magic. A perfect location to drift into a dreamy escape..Beautiful..

    Eileen

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  15. Wow. Great imagery. So vivid. So rich.

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  16. beautiful description , wonderfully woven into a poem

    Magic

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  17. Absolutely gorgeous, although there is a hint of sadness in it too...

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  18. Beautiful! I love all the plant and perfume descriptions.

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