Mutations

Swathed in sun,
sky sheer,
the sighing sift of air then

windrushes,

grass blades flickering lightfast
like metronomes,

two magpies mewling
in the gutter, sneering moss
onto the lawn. Beaks,

I think of scissors poised
to slice,

place a drink to my lips
and as the warm liquid flows
it is not clear where it
ends and I begin,

skin dissolves
into motion,

my face follows,

a solution,

flowing,
I am flowing
through a pinhole.

For Totally Optional Prompts on transformation.

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25 Responses to “Mutations”

  1. lissa Says:

    lovely…”not clear where it ends and I begin”

  2. S. Thomas Summers Says:

    an idea - how about arrange this so all capitalization and punctuation can be removed? my poem…i would try.

    very tangible. a subtle music.

    enjoyed.

  3. whypaisley Says:

    isnt it wonderful,, that feeling that comes with recognizing that you have grown.. i am beginning to feel whole again,, after a years worth of distortion and grief… i am ever so happy to know you to are feeling somewhat lighter,, and more alive.

  4. gautami tripathy Says:

    Wonderful feeling this..lightness. I am looking forward to feel like that!

    changling

  5. cruxandflux Says:

    light an airy.. a nice perk me up in the middle of the day

  6. Richard Says:

    very nice - image and flow.

  7. johemmant Says:

    Scott you and your punctuation, (laughing), I wrote one the day before yesterday without, I’m holding onto those little circles and hooks for now. When I put it back in my files, I might have a fiddle. Thanks for stopping by, I’ll be over to you later.

    Thanks Lissa, Paisley, Gautami, Kassandra, Richard (I’ll be over to read yours later).

  8. thisgirlremembers Says:

    Jo, you are just SO good at dropping us right into the experience, rather than just showing it to us with pretty words. I always come away from reading your poems feeling as if I’ve traveled somewhere - a visceral experience. I am in awe of this skill of yours. :)

  9. mariacristina Says:

    I see a transformation from an expansive sky to a tiny pinhole, with the other images and feelings along the way, like a huge spiral coming to a tip. This poem is very subtle, well crafted, and beautiful to read.

  10. virginia Says:

    “metronome” has got to be one of my most favorite words! :)

  11. Scot Says:

    through a pinhole–like the close

  12. noahthegreat Says:

    This is great, but what isn’t great that you post?

  13. Greybeard Says:

    your descriptive powers never fail to place me in the place you’re describing. i really like this one. i’ll have to think about the last half a bit but that probably won’t hurt me.

  14. stan Says:

    Become your thoughts; sadly, it’s only available in dreams

  15. Crafty Green Poet Says:

    I’m fascinated by your magpies…

  16. enigma Says:

    Ah this is why i have been so thirsty…I havnt been here to slake my thirst

    .And i was going to go for a diabeties test..how silly of me.

  17. Tina Trivett Says:

    “place a drink to my lips
    and as the warm liquid flows
    it is not clear where it
    ends and I begin,

    skin dissolves
    into motion”

    ~Jo! These lines are poetic heaven….I’m in awe.

  18. johemmant Says:

    Thank you, yippee Enigma, how lovely to see you here my dear, and Tina, thank you so much for stopping by :)

  19. ozymandiaz Says:

    hey, that means you can get into heaven right?
    y aknow the saying about it being easier to pass a camel through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to get into heaven…
    well, if you can get through a pinhole…
    OK, I don’t think I’m making any sense

  20. C. Elizabeth Says:

    I love the images produced by these lines.

  21. SweetTalkingGuy Says:

    Don’t you just love that word ‘mewling’ and ‘flowing through a pinhole’ Yeah!

  22. justordinary Says:

    This one was OK.

  23. Cynthia Says:

    simply stunning poem, makes me feel as if I’m breathing in light.

  24. Childlife Says:

    I love the imagry in this poem Jo — it just transports you. “Grass blades flickering lightfast like metronomes,” is just breathtaking.

    (And I love the phrase “sneering moss” :) )

  25. amuirin Says:

    there are some startling metaphors and similes in there.

    I loved the grassblade/metronome line best.

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