Friday, March 1, 2013

Bloodless March



today
i can tell you what
a dried orange peel feels like
hanging on—
barely
wrapped in yesterday’s color
now a duller shade
possessed by winter
contained in the glass bowl of night
where mango and cinnamon
and cardamom
die on my lips scented citrus
nut hard and inedible
a shade
of passion’s fruit
wheeled out on gurneys
of seasons past




Copyright © 2013 Jennifer Wagner

10 comments:

ND Mitchell said...

So much is packed into this poem. The image of "possessed by winter/contained in the glass bowl of night" resonates strongly. The dying fruit/loss imagery is crafted beautifully Jennifer.

Jennifer Wagner said...

Thanks very much David!

Wendy Bourke said...

I have experienced death and grief and loss many times in my life and have often felt there is a certain fish-bowl/glass-bowl element to the process in this age of modern medicine (though there is a sense, as well - in the poem - of other emotions and, perhaps, events at play here). In particular, I thought: "a dried orange peel . . . hanging on" and then sweeping to: "die on my lips scented citrus" really moving . . . visceral and yet, very loving. "Gurneys of seasons past" is an epically memorably line - about life and death (and just plain living), I think. A lot in this stirring piece to ponder on.

Brian Miller said...

smiles....we have those bowls of dried fruit and spice to refresh the air...the thought of them just hanging on...pretty vivid closing lines putting them on a gurney and wheeling them out....

Optimistic Existentialist said...

I read a lot of metaphors into this one? Is that correct? Nevermind don't answer that - sometimes there's beauty in not knowing :)

Jennifer Wagner said...

Thank you so much Wendy. I so love your thoughtful response to this piece. You don't miss a thing. It is multilayered and deeply personal...the 'visceral and yet, very loving' description you gave is so perfect and exactly what I was going for. Thanks Wendy, I always value your input so much.

Jennifer Wagner said...

Interesting connection, I can see how you made it. Thanks so much for your consistent reading and commenting on my posts Brian.

Jennifer Wagner said...

You are correct of course! ...and ha...'beauty in not knowing' reminded me of your recent 'Answering the Unanswerable' post! Thanks for visiting as always Keith, always appreciate your thoughts. :-)

Fireblossom said...

There comes that gurney, out of left field, and yet, it had to be. No other device would work as well. I like that image of the orange peel barely hanging on and fading.

Jennifer Wagner said...

Thank you for commenting Shay, and for saying you like that part. :-)