A Hand a Thing of Beauty Is
I
A hand a thing of beauty
is that slipped across a cheek
might tender joy for ever
II
Divine the mapping
of a hand slipping tender
from sleep's deep hollow
across a cheek unblushing
joy for ever colored I
© 2010 Maureen E. Doallas. All Rights Reserved.
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I wrote these poems for Carry on Tuesday's prompt for April 20: to use the opening line of John Keats' "A Thing of Beauty" — "a thing of beauty is a joy for ever" — wholly or partly in an original poem or prose piece. Links to contributions for all of the participants in Carry on Tuesday #49 are here.
It has been many years since I have tried writing to any forms other than haiku. For this prompt, inspired by my friend Rob Kistner, who has been writing several poems a day for National Poetry Month, I decided to try my hand at writing a tanka, a five-line form that requires that lines 1 and 3 have five syllables each and that lines 2, 4, and 5 have seven syllables each. The result is my "II" above.
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19 comments:
A thing of beauty it is.
this is joy to read.
These remind me of another poem - Ode on a Grcian urn -- that fine delicacy, almost like porcelain.
I like this Maureen! I've had hands on my mind lately, so this caught my attention! I've been collecting hand photos for a video and promotional brochures for our upcoming Fund Appeal for the major renovations soon to be happening at our Church. I have all kinds of hands in ministry pics! It's been fun.
i agree with glynn - these are very delicate. lovely :-)
Read backwards it's nice too. Not sure why I tried. Mentioning form and rules probably made me instinctively rebel.
Tender touches!
a blow
Very beautiful.
a gentle reminder of the hands of healing that have been involved in my life in one form or another ..
Sometimes my comments don't show up for some reason. I came back to visit to read what others had said. It is amazing the different forms I knew nothing about. Hands are healing Susan.
lovely wanderings :-)
Old Grizz admires your ability to write either style You are very good at it.
beautiful!
I .........LOVE IT!
Lovely ~ 'might tender joy for ever'
Maureen,
You've taken the mundane and focused on it's true essence. We should so appreciate it all.
A lovely poem... thanks for sharing!
They say hands are the most difficult things to draw. Unique to each individual the art of it is tedious, detailed, and demands strict observation. I think the hands your words drew overcame all obstacles and the piece soars with joy and beauty.
nice. i find hands themselves to be so evocative...this is a well refined piece...
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