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
48 comments:
stunning. it took me awhile to wrap my head around getting clean in muddy water, but you definitely brought the idea to life perfectly.
ha....took me a few readings as well....i like....i like the sections where dead things find purpose and nourish...cool write ma;am
What a brilliant work with metaphors and imagery here. Absolutely loved this.
This post made me feel cleansed and made me feel the need to be amongst nature.
Great imagery...You have brought it out beautifully, poet:)
Fascinating imagery. But was she clean?
I like the emptying tree - this is a very strong metaphor.
Those last six lines are terrific. For me, the whole poem was leading up to them. Stunning.
An excellent scene. Great words.
Washing 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.
What a beautiful though put to perfect words and metaphors! Brilliant! :) I really love how cleansing with muddy water works!
I like the idea - bathed in the mud of the earth. No wonder growth occurs, nourished by that which nourishes all growth. Wonderful read.
really lovely, the words of a tree
http://llmcalling.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/showing-that-you-care.html
Very 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.
Yes, yes, awesome imagery... this is very touching and it seems to get deeper with each reading...
What a lovely scene you've created here, offering a glimpse into the earth's mechanisms and our perceptions.
http://www.kimnelsonwrites.com/2013/01/17/glow/
I like the contradiction in the beginning and the meaning at the end.
Her soul is washed clean in the muddy river of life, free to blossom again, now that her past is buried, yet fertile.
Thanks RMP :)
I'm really glad you like sir!
Thank you very much ES. I'm honored :)
Both good things...
Thanks Panchali :)
Of sorts...
Thanks very much pd :)
Thank you Dave, a wonderful compliment to me.
Thank you for reading anthony!
Thanks Mary :)
Thanks Chhavi! I'm glad you think the metaphor works here. Btw I love your name :)
Thanks PD, I'm honored you liked it.
I like that you saw it that way :)
Thanks Sherry :)
Thank you very much Serena...I always appreciate your thoughts so much.
Kim, thank you, your words are always a delight to me :)
Thanks for commenting on it rch :)
I like your summation Willow, thank you...now for tea ;)
Hey! Undiscovered gold! that's pretty awesome!
The images seemed to take me through different states of mind, to arrive at a deep satisfaction.
This is lovely!
Thanks Blaise, appreciate your visit :)
Glad they did...a wonderful compliment to me Rosemary. Really enjoyed your offering this week.
Thank you!
i 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!
♥
Much appreciated Dani--glad you enjoyed the journey. Thanks for coming by :-)
oh 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~
Thank YOU for such a wonderful comment. Your words are continually an inspiration Yelena.
This title really added to the piece. The ending was great, the kind you realize you wanted all along only after it's read.
Glad you think so Jack!
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