Welcome to where I am, where my kitchen's always messy, a pot's (or a poet) always about to boil over, a dog is always begging to be fed. Drafts of poems on the counter. Windows filled with leaves. Wind. Clouds moving over the mountains. If you like poetry, books, and music--especially dog howls when a siren unwinds down the hill-- you'll like it here.


MY NEW AUTHOR'S SITE, KATHRYNSTRIPLINGBYER.COM, THAT I MYSELF SET UP THROUGH WEEBLY.COM, IS NOW UP. I HAD FUN CREATING THIS SITE AND WOULD RECOMMEND WEEBLY.COM TO ANYONE INTERESTED IN SETTING UP A WEBSITE. I INVITE YOU TO VISIT MY NEW SITE TO KEEP UP WITH EVENTS RELATED TO MY NEW BOOK.


MY NC POET LAUREATE BLOG, MY LAUREATE'S LASSO, WILL REMAIN UP AS AN ARCHIVE OF NC POETS, GRADES K-INFINITY! I INVITE YOU TO VISIT WHEN YOU FEEL THE NEED TO READ SOME GOOD POEMS.

VISIT MY NEW BLOG, MOUNTAIN WOMAN, WHERE YOU WILL FIND UPDATES ON WHAT'S HAPPENING IN MY KITCHEN, IN THE ENVIRONMENT, IN MY IMAGINATION, IN MY GARDEN, AND AMONG MY MOUNTAIN WOMEN FRIENDS.




Sunday, May 2, 2010

MAGPIE TALES 12: i am


i am
such a tiny
movement
through stillness
around and
around
the incarnadine
mystery
raised from
the floor
of my fishbowl
through which
i look out
at your
world, tiny
self that
i am,
my gills opening
closing,
my small
supple spine
weaving ripples
nobody
can see

23 comments:

joanna said...

A tender gentle poem -- it is so true we do not notice the small refinements of nature we assume they are to minuscule to bother about noticing. And yet it is sublime as your poem points out.

Joanny

Charlotte Holmes said...

"Incarnadine. . ." What a perfect word in this poem! What close seeing. Thank you, Kay.

Tumblewords: said...

Thoughtful and well-crafted!

Tess Kincaid said...

"...small supple spine weaving ripples nobody
can see"

I enjoyed reading this part out loud.

Maha said...

I loved how simple and deep your poem was. It left me with a desire to protect that delicate helpless creature.

Kathryn Stripling Byer said...

Hi joanny, these small refinements of nature are also part of us...and i was identifying with them in this poem, the small fish alongside the larger incarnadine image--yes, Charlotte, I love that word! Somewhere in each of us that small fish swims.

Kathryn Stripling Byer said...

Tumblewords and willow, thank you for your comments. That last image surprised me and gave me pleasure too. No pleasure/surprise for the poet, none for the reader. I think R. Frost said something like that????

Kathryn Stripling Byer said...

Maha, I felt protective, too, as the poem began to make its way down the page. thank you for "getting" it, what I was trying to do.

Brian Miller said...

magnificently done...the gentle ripples...i hope that it keeps th peace i felt in its reading...nice magpie!

Helen said...

This made me think that each of us, no matter our heft, make a difference in life's scheme ...

Catalyst said...

Amazing - how good you are!

christine said...

A lovely poem, which on first reading appeared simple but then on second reading the deeper meaning was apparent.

Christine

Lyn said...

So many live unseen, but endure...very poignant.

Cindy Davis said...

Thank you for giving me a beautiful moment this morning.

Cindy

chiccoreal said...

Dear Kathryn: How empathetic the "I am" being us and the fish as one, a unity of one. An intense poem, zen-like. Simplified yet deeply meaningful. Love the line;

"I raised from
the floor
of my fishbowl" and how you have removed the "non-essential" elements to make this poem rich in meaning. Excellent!

Kathryn Stripling Byer said...

Cindy, what a pleasure to see you this morning! I'm glad you like this little piece. How are you? I need to drop by for a visit soon.
Thank you, chiccoreal; your comments are always so on target. And you are right about the zen-like quality I'd wanted.
Lyn, I'll be stopping by to see what you are writing. Christine, I've always thought the best poetry had the clarity of clear water so that the depths could shine through.
thank you all for visiting!

Teri said...

What I love is how you can say so much in such few words. That, to me, is an art. I love the rhythm of this too.

~T~ said...

A stunning synthesis of sound, sense, and shape.

Ronda Laveen said...

I felt like I was gently floating with that fish. Just like I used to notice when I was younger and would spend hours watching the tank.

Sheri said...

your magpie is just beautiful! reading it left such a soothing peace...very nicely done!

Jennifer said...

It's a gorgeous metaphor. (I read it a number of times.)

Jingle said...

beautifully woven,
Happy Wednesday!

mine is up.

Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis Hall said...

http://jingleyanqiu.wordpress.com/2010/05/09/sunday-special-awards-for-remarkable-memes-and-participants/

Meme participation awards,
Happy Sunday!
Cheers!