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Still Life of a Bouquet
Seems wrong to me that flowers die,
A live display of borrowed time,
To see them bloom from beaming buds
To threadbare bones cut off from blood.
Those sharp-set stems, sturdy, stoic
Wean from will, though still heroic
Fragrant flames of fuchsia flutter,
Blushing bulbs, bemoaning, mutter
Beauty is a gentle stranger
Poised within a gushing danger.
Water wanes with those weary stems;
I can’t buy time to rescue them
But petals wilt, and do not weep
Nor salvage what they cannot keep.
Too soon, post-bloom, do petals dry
Seems wrong to me that flowers die.
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Joanna Raja Sekar lives in Virginia.
Joanna, I am completely smitten with your beautiful creative poem with such a wonderful message. The alliteration is superb and striking. Great classical nature poem!
Thank you so much for your kind words, Roy!
There’s a reason everything must die in the natural world, but a good poem may live forever. This is the difference between biological flowers and the divine flowers grown in the outskirts of the heavenly realm.
Great insights, C.B! I especially love your distinction between “biological flowers and the divine flowers grown in the outskirts of the heavenly realm”. Such a poignant image.
Thank you for taking the time to read my poem and leave this lovely comment!
A lovely poem, Joanna, with masterful alliteration as noted. Love the sound of,
“Beauty is a gentle stranger
Poised within a gushing danger.”
I also think beginning and ending with the same line is very effective.
Thank you so much, JD!
I like the cycle of life feel to this piece, the first and last lines being the same.
Some great imagery, too, in this thought-provoking piece. I especially liked the idea of: ‘A live display of borrowed time.’
Thanks for the read, Joanna.
Thank you for your kind comment, Paul!
I love what you do with form in this work. You have a basic sonnet-like structure written in heroic couplets with a Shakespearean refrain inserted at the end of the octave, combined with a refrain bookending the poem. It all ties together very nicely. Rhyming stoic, and heroic was also a nice touch.
As for the subject, you turn an everyday scene into a larger meditation on evanescence and death. This is proper poetry.
This feedback means so much to me! Thank you for your kind words, Adam.
Each line well composed in itself, and polished with its proper alliteration, makes an arrangement where every stem supports melancholy poignancy.
Thank you for your kind words, Margaret!