deep in the wintergreens
of twilight
it grows
where birds of song
vacate homes in
season’s passing,
gathering shadows of
keeping;
and berries, frozen—
are bejeweling
the trampled floor
of the forest wide
and deep
of her glacial heart
Copyright 2012 Jennifer Wagner
70 comments:
Oh, that first line is incredibly inciting. How could one not read all the way through... but the ending feel sad, though this morning the forest floor is certainly a bit glacial with snow on the ground.
the circle of life....how bittersweet the journey can be.
This sounds like a very magical place to go. As if one ought to tip-toe through in case it disturbs the magic... shhh
Beautiful write.
Enjoyed this very much. You chose beautiful words. "Wintergreens of twilight," for example. You worked so much into this verse...the sadness of the birds leaving, the frozen berries on the forest floor. A dense poem I read a few times & loved!
lovely images here.loved it.
I am blessed that some songsters come to visit my southern woods, so the place is not so hollow in this season. Thanks for a reminder.
This is a very beautiful lyrical poem.
beautiful images,lovely poem
I like the dense imagery of this poem, like a winter forest.
I agree with Laura--your beginning is so captivating--just a beautiful write Jennifer
Oh how I enjoyed my walk 'deep in the wintergreens of twilight.' Such a lovely ode to the change of season.
berries, frozen--are bejeweling the trampled floor
lovely line. lovely piece.
You bring the natural world up close for those of us in cyberland. I feel like I am there.
Very beautiful imagery in this poem. Lovely.
You made me ponder the feeling of an icy-cold heart. I have never had that experience, until now of course. Your writing made it so. And, by the way, on a more temporal note, I enjoyed the vicarious sensation of winter in short sleeves and flip-flops as my Sonora Desert resists cooler daytime temps.
What a beautiful and powerful image... I especially liked
and berries, frozen—
are bejeweling
the trampled floor
How elegant is that!
A beautiful write. I read it a few times. I love "gathering shadows of keeping". It coveys the essence of winter so well.
aha...beautiful imagery, poet laundry! Great composition:)
Laura, I'm glad it captured you. I wrote this as a natural and metaphorical piece so the sadness is definitely intended. Thanks for reading!
first, i loved the forest as i escape there often...but the turn as well to it being in her heart...and the cold...it is sad...and turns many of the other phrases as well into something more to ponder...
Very intense and you really nailed the ending, greatly enjoyed.
Oh, how beautiful!
How stunning!
bejeweling
the trampled floor
of the forest
Beautifully expressed Jenny! That whiff of goodness is very necessary to right the wrongs afflicting others.
Hank
Very intense. Well done!
Indeed.
ha I love that...shh...definitely...
Mary what a great compliment to me on this write! Thanks so much.
Glad you did :)
I'm marveling at the imagery here. Each one holds a lonely beauty.
The meaning struck me on one level, but the pace and rhythm was what really impressed me with this
" the trampled floor
of the forest wide and deep"
particularly. Trampled is one of those sort of one and a half syllable words and it works so well here.
makes me relive childhood explorations inthe woods. Thanks
Lovely details of nature ~ I like this line:
gathering shadows of keeping ~And her glacial heart, adds depth to the tranquility ~
I'm a bit of a poetic ignoramus, so may I ask a few questions:
Why the title "hollow"?
What is "it" in the third line?
THanx
PS -- don't know if you know this. But there is no option to be able to follow the comment thread by e-mail. Could you activate that?
Put my reply to this just below in your additional comment/question...
The definition of hollow is: having a space or cavity inside; empty; or it can mean a valley. I wrote this piece to be read literally and metaphorically. A hollow, “a forest valley,” in winter “empty” of songbirds, to be literal. And, as a metaphor, an icy heart growing more alone and empty. Thus the “it” that grows is the hollow itself…the space, the cavity, the emptiness. Also, you can have post comments delivered to your email if you have a Blogger/Google account.
Nice...thanks Libby.
Thank you very much Kerry.
Thanks T!
Glad you enjoyed it p-d, thanks for commenting.
Thanks Audrey, I appreciate your kind words, as always.
Thank you very much WS, really enjoyed your poem this week too!
What a wonderful compliment Lolly, thank you.
Thanks very much Sherry.
You got the double meaning...and flip-flops! I may need to live vicariously through you a bit! :-) Thanks so much Kim--always love your thoughtful comments to my posts.
Thank you so much Serena!
Ah, now the "subscribe" option is there -- thanx.
Ah, so the "It" is "The Hollow" -- got it.
Thanx
I'm partial to that line myself...thanks so much Karen.
Thank you Panchali :)
I love the scene in the natural too...a forest in winter holds a certain lovely ambiance. But flip to a person, not so enchanting. Thanks Brian, you are always so on point.
Thanks rch.
Thank you very much for your kind words!
Oh I like that Hank...
Thank you Mad!
Karen, thank you!
Thank you very much Simon :)
Thanks for coming by my blog Emma, I appreciate it!
Thanks Grace. I'm a big fan of your poetry, thanks again for commenting on the piece.
Welcome. Thanks for coming by.
Lovely imagery :)
Thank you :)
The imagery in this poem is so incredibly vivid...it left me speechless.
there is something about the frozen berries bedazzling the ground...lovely.
What a great compliment Keith, thank you.
There is something about them I agree. Thanks RMP.
How beautiful to find this poem today... each word paints a silent, but not so silent, winter wood... my favorite are the last two lines, thank you for this these bedazzling gems of words!
I'm so glad you enjoyed it Lea--I so enjoyed your comment.
i love this one the most (of all i hv read till now)..
its amazing how you read some lines or words and feel better..
glacial heart... mesmerizing..
i m hungry for more Poet.. :)
What a wonderful compliment, thank you :)
I swear I saw frost on my screen after reading this one, Poet Laundry. Loved it!
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