Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Florence


By the window,
lapping up the sun,
I read Rossetti’s, “The First Spring Day,”
and leaned my head against the pane

as if to become one
with blush blossoms
sprouting from the tree
and our neighbor’s sign
in bright yellow, pink and green:  hello spring.

Spring:  Florence Nightingale’s
cool kiss on the fevered brow of humanity.
Oh blow, swing your lamp—
your breath, meadowsweet,
your step, light, in our cimmerian war.


© 2020 Jennifer Wagner


dverse poetics:  in the time of the plague

Hope you all are well.  ~Love, Jen

The First Spring Day” by Christina Rossetti

11 comments:

  1. Spring is a cool kiss on our fevered brow.

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  2. This is lovely--a gentle sigh of a poem full of wonderful imagery. Swing your lamp indeed.

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  3. Such a gentle poem, Jennifer. I can imagine you sitting by the window, reading Rossetti’s ‘The First Spring Day’ – perfect for a morning of ‘blush blossoms / sprouting from the tree’. I love the thought of spring as ‘Florence Nightingale’s cool kiss on the fevered brow of humanity’.

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  4. Two poems for one (I didn't know the Rosetti, so thank you).

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  5. It's so nice to read something uplifting and encouraging! Thank you for such a beautiful poem, it brightened my day.

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  6. It is timely that Spring arrives as a glimmer of hope in the midst of darkness. Beautiful poem!

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  7. This is such a beautiful poem. I especially love "your breath meadowsweet".

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  8. I love the way you describe spring still coming and how we can still enjoy it from inside... a cool kiss is what we all need (and i don't mind getting it from spring)

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  9. Stunning lines specially the ending:

    Oh blow, swing your lamp—
    your breath, meadowsweet,
    your step, light, in our cimmerian war.

    Hope you are well Jennifer.

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  10. Gentle and beautiful. I hope you and your family are well and safe.

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  11. Such grace and serenity in this! It's beautiful--be safe and well!

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Thank you for your thoughts!