Buds on the blackjack
tell me spring is here to stay.
I carved my initials
and started on your name.
Bark bit blood from both my hands
when sweat slicked the knife away.
Round and round the blackjack,
saying what I have to say to you,
my love.
Letters full of lavender,
letters full of lies
delivered in the darkness
so I cannot read your eyes.
But, truth traced with a finger
gives itself away.
Round and round the blackjack,
there's nothing left for you to say,
my love.
17 comments:
What a sly choice is the blackjack oak for this poem. One thinks of an oak as a symbol of strength and permanence, but the blackjack grows in bad soil, and its wood isn't the best for burning cos it burns hot and has air pockets, making it a fire risk, and the acorns can poison cattle who eat them. Love is no picnic, especially when you get down to writing poems about it!
I am glad Fireblossom saved me from asking what kind of tree a blackjack is. And apparently she is an expert on blackjack oaks;)
"Bark bit blood...sweat slicked the knife away...But, truth traced with a finger gives itself away." What brilliant lines, MZ.
The ending....whew! Strong write all the way through.
Wow, killer poem! Powerful and portentous:)
Note to Sioux: As long as I know how to find Wikipedia, I shall remain an expert on everything!
I love the alliteration like "Bark bit blood from both my hands" and the second stanza is powerful... "my love" really seals the deal.
Amazing! I love all the details and conjured thoughts that ramble when I read it! Wow~
Wonderful, powerful as always and I love it!
Wonderfully dark...love it
a lot to like about this one MZ. First off, love the way you use the blackjack term, haven't heard it in quite some time and you make me remember what a good word it is when used in this sense. The subtle rhyming here is great and then some of these lines are wicked cool, bark bit from blood…sweat slicked the knife away…truth traced with a finger gives itself away… very cool.
Wow, love this!
This reads like the incantation to a little love magic.
goodness this is a strong write MZ...love the imagery as i love carved initials in the wood...and the balckjack...and just really well done...
I love Kerry's response! Yes, an incantation! And Fireblossom's comment was very educational! And your words, as aways: hypnotizing!
Yep .. this is brilliant!
That bark is hard to carve. Can't believe I missed this one--one of your best, MZ. Sad, more bitter than accepting, more disillusioned than bitter--well-drawn, and some standout lines, both stanzas, but the letters of lavender and lies got to me. Fine writing, all the way through.
Love this:
"Bark bit blood from both my hands
when sweat slicked the knife away."
Shawna
rosemarymint.wordpress.com
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