Buttered cream with Maybelline
Dowager’s face in cracked bowl
Charmed heart bereft of her scene
Crimson wrists wrapped in black stole
One more nap for an old tale
Diana’s arrow in Spring
A heart pierced, a maiden’s veil
Her flesh chastened from a fling
Velvet man’s hand on her hair
Touching sweet words to her ear:
“No reason to fret my fair
With my love nothing to fear
Your heart is my discontent
Your sorrow also my grief
To one fate we two were sent
Timeless love even if brief
So cast aside her arrow
And grin for my serenade
No nun lives in your marrow
A lover’s bed to be made”
And with that the touch is gone
Love’s melody lost his might
But her heart raptured for dawn
An old rose blossomed at night
Prettily comes the new rye
A midsummer dance or two
Chance to straighten a bowtie
A kiss and a rendezvous
Your poem is exceptionally beautiful, reminiscent of the Romantic Victorian novels. The imagery is sublime, Michael: ”her heart raptured for dawn…”♥️👏
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Thank you for your comment. I recall being in the thralls of a decidedly Victorian sentiment when I wrote that poem. Sadness is sublime in the romantic ethos of that era. We sometimes think of the beauty as a kind of mask, but the Victorian Romantics really saw the tragedy that is inherent in the aesthetic. All beauty passes. The end is traced even when the blossom is fullest. When they held up beauty, it was not so much a mask hiding the sadness beneath but instead the aesthetic expression of that sadness. There is also considerable longing both to hold what is passing and to remember what has been lost – hence the all consuming passion of the Victorian Romantic protagonist, in the case of holding onto what is passing, and the prevalence of ghosts, seances, and other paranormal phenomena, in the case of remembering what is lost. What is beautiful truly is what both touches and inspires our souls to great heights and maudlin depths. I think the pathos intrinsic in the Victorian Romantic ideal very well expresses that.
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Dear Michael,
I appreciate your detailed, poetic reply! It is delightful to know that my guess about your writing was right.
Indeed, it seems as if I’ve found a kindred spirit. The melancholy Romantic Era has undoubtedly inspired most of my poems! Although my peers are inclined to call me ”old-fashioned,” I value authenticity more than relevance.
The title of your poem, ”Blossoms in Darkness,” portrays the essence of Romanticism! Its tragic beauty is always tinged with sadness. I completely agree with your magnificent definition of beauty and art itself: ”What is beautiful truly is what both touches and inspires our souls to great heights and maudlin depths.”
It is utter bliss to meet you! Such an exquisite verse is rare nowadays, and I am profoundly pleased that we are battling the tempest together. 🌊✨
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Yes, indeed, we are endeavoring to sail against discontented winds. The sea is treacherous, as the currents battling our creviced hull flows from the spirit of the times. She is a loud and cacophonous spirit apparently intent on proving the veracity of her faddish mind through the elevated volume of her voice. Our words seem too subtle to put up much of a fight, and yet there is an endearing strength in weakness. When the grand moment passes, it is the eternal that presses on. As the meek shall inherit the earth, so the quiet romantic shall overcome with understated beauty and reserve the winds and the currents of the age. After all, when all is said and done, the romantic is willing to play the part of a fool for love. She will put on the jester’s wardrobe for romantic abandon. The others may point and laugh, but she alone will know the pleasure and the pain of a heart still able to bleed.
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I am deeply in love with your poetic contemplation on the romantic soul! Doubtlessly, ”there is an endearing strength in weakness,” and every great poet possesses this visceral quality. Thank you for the encouraging words, Michael, and sharing your exquisite musings with me. ♥️
Sending my warmest regards,
Veronica
P.S. I have just received your e-mail, and will spend some time composing the reply, which by no means can be as thoughtful as your messages, yet I’ll do my best. ✨
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When you write from the heart, your composition is always beautiful.
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