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Kilkenny Castle
A moat runs dry revealing secrets buried
those conquerors and conquered knights had known.
The past, a relic—bits and pieces carried,
some seen in present life, some overgrown
by history’s décor. And at its core
A castle built of wood and later stone.
We in the present beg to learn of more;
there’s so much yet—we yearn for what’s not shown.
It’s set in time along the River Nore,
a shield itself, medieval wear beside
a sword of truth. The towers as before
lend greening views extending far and wide
where thoughts of chivalry like sunsets glow
in one’s imaginings of great Strongbow.
.
.
Presently
Today, I’m listening to quiet Time.
Today my porch enjoys an eerie calm
An echo in fresh air afar—the balm
Of bird song, happy nests—a kind of rhyme.
A moment’s happiness within this clime
Seaside and lying ‘neath a winded palm…
At least to me it seems a kind of psalm
That beckons thoughts as near as from the chime
Of my grandfather clock that’s there inside
My house. It chimes a generation’s sorrow
At what a border used to mean—a wide
Horizon line is not a thing to harrow
Or to bend in this quick life’s long stride,
Which brings me from my porch to our tomorrow.
.
.
Lucia Haase has several books of poetry published and was recently included in a poetry anthology titled Symphonies of the Wild Hearted available on Amazon.com. She also recently had poetry accepted by several publications including Haight Ashbury Literary Journal, The Long Islander, Nostalgia Press, The Raven’s Perch, and POEM publication. She lives in Spring Valley, Illinois.
Lovely imagery!
Thank you Cynthia. So much appreciated!
Two deceptively simple sonnets that yielded so much more on a second read.
With ‘Kilkenny Castle’ I liked that rather than starting at the ramparts and the large, impressive structures of the castle, you started with the moat, contrasting what’s seen now, with what was seen then.
I particularly enjoyed in ‘Presently’ that even the title is an integral part of a snapshot’s description.
Thank you for the reads, Lucia.
Thank you very much Paul. I’ve not seen this castle or any castle
yet…but I can imagine from what I’ve read. I live in a small country
town in Illinois surrounded by corn fields but have always felt
drawn to the medieval era. The second poem has a hint of the
terrible border crisis that is going on in Texas and other states in
the USA under the current Presidency.
Your reply is much appreciated. Thank you.
Lucia
Lucia, these sonnets create two distinct pleasant atmospheres, and both use an unusual sonnet structure. Rather than having a brief turn at about line 9, the turn in both is long and early, beginning with line 7 and going on for two or more lines with a center-of-the-poem reflection. Maybe I should say there’s a better-defined border in “Kilkenny Castle”! The stretch into the sestet in “Presently” illustrates your concern with southwestern border chaos, and this is well supported by the words “harrow,” “bend,” and “quick life’s long stride.” The obvious crisis is located near where the border once was, but the atrocious management of it impacts “tomorrow” almost everywhere in the nation. Soon enough, busloads or planeloads of persons are sent to diversify distant small country towns unequipped to meet an ongoing challenge.
Hi Margaret,
Thank you for your time and attention to my poems.
Regarding Kilkenney Castle, I know…I do have a tendency
to carry on with my lines. When I first learned to write
sonnets, I used to incorporate a change of thought at the
end of at least every other line. I still do that sometimes,
but not always. Also, I agree with your comments on
Presently. I thought afterward also…I wasn’t sure about
the word ‘eerie’ in the second line. It doesn’t refer to being
out on my porch writing…but thinking about illegal immigrants
coming over the border and walking on and through the
residents private property…a calm over the ranch lands and in
the fields there…until that happens, that is. Thanks again.
Smooth and graceful, no wonder both poems are lovely.
Thank you very much Michael! So much appreciated.