“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
The pallid body will with rose blooms be coloured,
ReplyDeleteJust like the hearts on by-pass I see on TV! Full marks for your version of the image as well as your words.
Brilliant words!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it wonderful what you can learn from The Mag (?)- until researching I had not known of Aleksandr.
Anna :o]
Falling like pomegranate grains
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful image.
Love it: "Hail to the jewel in the lotus"
ReplyDeleteIncredible! Your poem and the enhancement of the image.
ReplyDeleteWell done. My favorite part is "curious exsanguination."
ReplyDelete=)
Face it, Nicholas V, you can write!
ReplyDeletelove it, you can do very outstanding job, smiles.
ReplyDelete"Falling like pomegranate grains
ReplyDeleteOn barren soil "
... I don't think I'll ever forget this sentence
"Falling like pomegranate grains
ReplyDeleteOn barren soil "
... I don't think I'll ever forget this sentence
This is beautiful...and it works on a certain level as a tribute to Bakulev, as well...
ReplyDeleteI love the image of the pomegranate grains as well! Your interpretation of the prompt was remarkable, and I learned something as well! Thank you!
ReplyDelete