she washed herself
clean
in the dirty river—
sinking down
into
muddy banks,
covering herself
and the tar that lives
and thrives
raging
within her skin
emptied
the tree of herself—
leaves and
petals
flowing
buried
in layers
where dead things
find purpose
and nourish
the ground
lush with
undiscovered gold
Copyright 2013 Jennifer Wagner
stunning. it took me awhile to wrap my head around getting clean in muddy water, but you definitely brought the idea to life perfectly.
ReplyDeleteThanks RMP :)
Deleteha....took me a few readings as well....i like....i like the sections where dead things find purpose and nourish...cool write ma;am
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad you like sir!
DeleteWhat a brilliant work with metaphors and imagery here. Absolutely loved this.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much ES. I'm honored :)
DeleteThis post made me feel cleansed and made me feel the need to be amongst nature.
ReplyDeleteBoth good things...
DeleteGreat imagery...You have brought it out beautifully, poet:)
ReplyDeleteThanks Panchali :)
DeleteFascinating imagery. But was she clean?
ReplyDeleteOf sorts...
DeleteI like the emptying tree - this is a very strong metaphor.
ReplyDeleteThanks very much pd :)
DeleteThose last six lines are terrific. For me, the whole poem was leading up to them. Stunning.
ReplyDeleteThank you Dave, a wonderful compliment to me.
DeleteAn excellent scene. Great words.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading anthony!
DeleteWashing oneself clean in a dirty river fascinates me....but I enjoyed the flow to the ending where the ground was lush with undiscovered gold. I enjoyed your write, Jennifer.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mary :)
DeleteWhat a beautiful though put to perfect words and metaphors! Brilliant! :) I really love how cleansing with muddy water works!
ReplyDeleteThanks Chhavi! I'm glad you think the metaphor works here. Btw I love your name :)
DeleteI like the idea - bathed in the mud of the earth. No wonder growth occurs, nourished by that which nourishes all growth. Wonderful read.
ReplyDeleteThanks PD, I'm honored you liked it.
Deletereally lovely, the words of a tree
ReplyDeletehttp://llmcalling.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/showing-that-you-care.html
I like that you saw it that way :)
DeleteVery intriguing poem - "emptied the tree of herself", I liked that. This poem makes me think of all that lives on the forest floor - just a plethora of life forms.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sherry :)
DeleteYes, yes, awesome imagery... this is very touching and it seems to get deeper with each reading...
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Serena...I always appreciate your thoughts so much.
DeleteWhat a lovely scene you've created here, offering a glimpse into the earth's mechanisms and our perceptions.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.kimnelsonwrites.com/2013/01/17/glow/
Kim, thank you, your words are always a delight to me :)
DeleteI like the contradiction in the beginning and the meaning at the end.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting on it rch :)
DeleteHer soul is washed clean in the muddy river of life, free to blossom again, now that her past is buried, yet fertile.
ReplyDeleteI like your summation Willow, thank you...now for tea ;)
DeleteHey! Undiscovered gold! that's pretty awesome!
ReplyDeleteThanks Blaise, appreciate your visit :)
DeleteThe images seemed to take me through different states of mind, to arrive at a deep satisfaction.
ReplyDeleteGlad they did...a wonderful compliment to me Rosemary. Really enjoyed your offering this week.
DeleteThis is lovely!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
Deletei love the journey you take us on from the dirty river to undiscovered gold ~ well worth re-reading so as not to miss any detail!
ReplyDelete♥
Much appreciated Dani--glad you enjoyed the journey. Thanks for coming by :-)
Deleteoh my..i have an immediate urge for the warmer season to arrive and rivers melt to run and wash self clean in them...'dead things find purpose and nourish the ground lush with undiscovered gold..' -- this just explodes with life and longing! thank you so much for this beauty~
ReplyDeleteThank YOU for such a wonderful comment. Your words are continually an inspiration Yelena.
DeleteThis title really added to the piece. The ending was great, the kind you realize you wanted all along only after it's read.
ReplyDeleteGlad you think so Jack!
Delete