Monday, April 19, 2010

Losing Control (Poem)

Losing Control

I see
how rain gets out of control

how driving hard
it spark-mists hot black pavement

how pouring down
it pulls a vertical sheath

madly against the thing you need seen

how it pounds incensed
on a roof of tessellating tin

until it runs off
to bubble up at leaf-tips

clear-vision globes perfectly balanced
edge on ends

their future dried up in an instant's glare.

                      *

I understand
tears can be mistaken

for the sound of rain

how trying to control the self undone
unmakes the quilt of calm in a room

crazy with grief

how the surfeit of that first drop
becomes the next to follow

the heart pinging and pining.

© 2010 Maureen E. Doallas. All Rights Reserved.
_______________________________

I wrote this poem for the April 20 Blog Carnival, sponsored by Bridget Chumbley of One Word at a Time and Peter Pollock of Rediscovering the Church.

The Blog Carnival is a biweekly online event open to anyone. Participants write on a one-word prompt or topic. This week's is "self-control".

Go here for a list of links to all of the contributions, which are posted throughout Tuesday and often  through to the end of the week.

The Blog Carnival's FaceBook page is here.

13 comments:

Anne Lang Bundy said...

how trying to control the self undone
unmakes the quilt of calm in a room


But of course the quilt is unmade so that one might wrap it about oneself ...

Glynn said...

There are so many good things about this poem -- I don't know where to start. The progression of rain to tears? That it's about grief, among other things? The "roof of tessallating tin" and "the heart pinging and pining" and "the quilt of calm?" The movement from rain to tears, or how grief is a kind of wildness? And then to read it aloud!

I love this, Maureen.

katdish said...

Maureen - I've said before I don't really "get" poetry too often, but your words seems to speak to me in a way I understand. Thanks for this. Beautiful.

Russell Holloway said...

" ... tears can be mistaken

for the sound of rain."

That is wonderful.

Louise Gallagher said...

What they said.... this is brilliant and beautiful and sad and lovely and just so... everything.

Thank you

Kathleen Overby said...

You know how some grief can be too ugly and raw to bear watching? This kind of grief could be observed without embarrassment to anyone. And should be witnessed. Refining words. Straw into gold.

S. Etole said...

I read this when it was new ... now again, the "crazy with grief" stirs hard ...

Anonymous said...

You've written the unbecoming of grief... in rain and tears.

Anonymous said...

You have such a beautiful way with words. I love your poetry.

jasonS said...

Wow, Maureen. I appreciate this- beautiful.

Sandra Heska King said...

"Spark-mists" grabbed me. "Pounding incensed." Word pictures. Thank you.

Laura said...

oh. my.

Anonymous said...

The tears/rain spoke to me as well.

Another beautiful poem by Maureen. Thank you.