Thursday, June 11, 2015

Slow dance


















We are invited to write a Palindrome poem today by Mary at  dversepoets.com  Also called mirror poetry, it reflects like an image in a mirror.







I still have all my memories
the pressed corsage of peonies
from the slow dance our young hearts had
before the war took the young lad
before the stars all turned around
until the day when they were found
Words spoken from out of the blue
sent on an angel's wing anew
How is it possible you asked
for the present to mirror the past?

For the present to mirror the past,
how is it possible you asked?
Sent on an angel's wing anew,
words spoken from out of the blue
Until the day when they were found,
before the stars all turned around
Before the war took the young lad
from the long dance our young hearts had,
the pressed corsage of peonies -
I still have all my memories



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23 comments:

  1. MaryJune 11, 2015 at 7:22 PM

    This is a really meaningful palindrome poem, Kathy. I can't decide which is my favorite way of reading it - forward or backward. Actually, I think the meaning is heightened when it is read BOTH ways - as you wrote it. I feel the poignancy, the sadness, the nostalgia as I read your words. And that picture goes with it wonderfully.

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  2. GabriellaJune 11, 2015 at 7:25 PM

    The palindrome form seems to stress the memories the persona has of the past. I also liked the way you used 'the pressed corsage of peonies' - a detail for others, a symbol for the person who wistfully remembers. You have written a truly great poem, Kathy.

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  3. kaykualaJune 11, 2015 at 7:50 PM

    It makes it all the more interesting when converted in Palindrome writing. The flow gets smoother and pleads for itself. Wonderful write Kathy!

    Hank

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  4. XJune 11, 2015 at 7:52 PM

    Nice. Your one word change is really effective in the mirror. Full of emotion. Of memories. Of loss, and living beyond it as well. Nicely played.That they could all make it home.

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  5. Vandana SharmaJune 11, 2015 at 9:51 PM

    some things are hard to forget

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  6. brudbergJune 11, 2015 at 9:55 PM

    This is such depth. You have really worked hard to make both halves be as smooth. The tragedy of war will a burden even go a survivor,

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  7. AnonymousJune 11, 2015 at 10:17 PM

    Oh this is a heart-grabber, isn't it. Well Done!!

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  8. Sumana RoyJune 11, 2015 at 10:20 PM

    both the versions resonate how war wrought havoc in life....hope one day humanity will truly replace guns with flowers...

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  9. Rosemary Nissen-WadeJune 11, 2015 at 10:51 PM

    Oh, beautifully done!

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  10. vivinfranceJune 11, 2015 at 11:30 PM

    Chapeau, for a beautiful poem to a nigh-on impossible prompt.

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  11. Roslyn RossJune 12, 2015 at 4:36 AM

    Somehow the repetition is just perfect for memories. No doubt because they are in their own way palidromatic.

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  12. GraceJune 12, 2015 at 5:15 AM

    This worked very well Kathy ~ The emotional angst and sadness specially in the second stanza brought it home for me ~

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  13. lynn__June 12, 2015 at 6:53 AM

    Exquisite writing, Kathy! Your words fit the form and image eloquently...tragically.

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  14. Glenn ButtkusJune 12, 2015 at 7:45 AM

    A strong palindrome, a timeless message; the Viet Nam image gives it a sense of place (what I think of as my war), but the tone, the voice, the sad beautiful words themselves resonate with Korea, WWII, even stretching back further to WWI. You rocked the form for sure. I get more impact from the first part; but then mirror images are often slightly distorted.

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  15. UnknownJune 12, 2015 at 11:24 AM

    This is perfection - not the form but the words themselves. Both halves enhance each other beautifully. The pressed peony corsage is a sweet and poignant symbol it is. This is so timeless, it could be read for any of the dreadful wars. The second verse is so full of anguish - a true mirror image.

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  16. Katie Mia FrederickJune 12, 2015 at 2:14 PM

    (:..Petaled corsages love past..
    pasting pages.. of dust gone black..
    love of mine.. drifts light.. sparkling eyes.. love lives within
    expressing
    within lives love.. eyes sparkling.. light drifts.. mine of love
    black gone dust of.. pages pastings..
    past love corsages Petaled..:)

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  17. AnonymousJune 12, 2015 at 5:03 PM

    Beautiful and poignant!

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  18. OrchisJune 13, 2015 at 6:11 AM

    This is so sad.

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  19. AnonymousJune 15, 2015 at 11:36 AM

    A sweet mix of sorrow and treasured memories. Truly reflective in story and in form.

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All comments, constructive and otherwise, are welcome and appreciated here. Thank you to those who show an interest in my quirky style of writing, photography, painting, and presenting a feeling or thought and for stopping by A Dwelling by the Sea..

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