poem: said the seeress

the seeress asked, suddenly;

   amidst batiks and crystals,

  wall hangings,

       waterfalls, sage,

     and lavender- lots

   of lavender-

 

"would you be willing

     to wait three full years

   for any man currently

         in your life?"

 

[scented sage smoke

    snuck circles through

        the scene]

 

my purified mind spoke-

    the only words it had;

       my thoughts alighted

 gently on his features;

 

    that ache of wanting

  the privilege of intimately

exploring

      that beautiful, thoughtful

    intellect.

 

Yes, spake the heart

    through the reality

      of a woman's mouth-

but only if he were

     allowed to know

       where to find me,

     waiting.

 

 

 

 

Reviews

[Tree]

You can almost feel and smell that scent of sage and lavender. The seer, fondling her crystal. A gentle and noble approach to finding out if the other half knows what the writer is thinking, feeling. I think sometimes there comes a time when you won't need words anymore, maybe won't even need a seer. That other half just finds its way home.

[jkhatz]

My thoughts on this piece could not be more eloquently put.

[Marie Anzalone]

Thanks, my friend. I think sometimes the job of the seer is to tap you on the shoulder and remind you to light the lantern you put in the window. People can be proud creatures sometimes. Better maybe to let them know they could knock at the door if they wanted, but not put them on the spot by directly inviting them. Just light the way. As you say, if they find it is home, maybe they will eventually make their way. I like to think that you are right about that. LOL intent is such a powerful thing. I like to use it sparingly and wisely.

[Donald Meikle]

I laughed and enjoyed all of this and you.
scented sage smoke snuck circles through the scene.
Your sense of humor will carry you through

[Marie Anzalone]

Ah, I am glad you saw the humor I snuck into this. If we cannot laugh at our own selves, we are doomed, doomed I tell you! I do not even need to seeress to tell me that :-)

[jkhatz]

Through the thick haze of burning sage, sometimes, is the only place our answers arrive. I've, too, pondered over such things, laboriously lighting the sage, crushing the dried lavender and hoping to divine some kind of foretelling.

Meditation and the casting of scents and smoke can help to create the perfect place for our minds to ponder. However, waiting, for anyone, is never a good idea for, as the time slowly ticks by, life, outside, quickly drifts away. It's a terrible paradox and one I'm all too familiar with.

Lovely write, dear Marie. You pour your heart out with honeyed imagery and vibrancy. I could smell the sage and the lavender.

[Marie Anzalone]

Nice to see a review form you, jk. I have always tried to be a very visceral and sensual writer; you will find a lot of my work has an element of flesh and blood and smells and taste and so on.

I fear my case is a little more complicated than most, as I follow a professional calling, give up an old life, and settle into a developing country to start my life over again. What with settling, unsettling, resettling, and settling for- my life has been a whirlwind of disaster in love for the past several years. The only positive thing I can say about is that it made me a better poet. Not a GOOD poet, mind oyu, just better than before.

Were I to even venture a toe into that water, it would be a pretty tall order for anyone to accept. Someone who can understand me in two worlds, two contexts; can put up with a partner who works in the field; who realistically works under the threat of being shot; and who is willing to be with me in 2 worlds? That is a lot to put on someone. Let's not even mention the practical side of getting to know soemone under such circumstances. Three years starts to sound pretty darned realistic, all things considered... if, and only if, I ever decide again to flat-out tell anyone in my life what he means to me, at all.

[jkhatz]

Thank you for taking the time to give me a wider perspective of what you're facing. In this case, I have no leg to stand on for it's from such a personal place and only you know how to handle it. I'm sorry if I came off pedantic.

This piece has sparked new life for WC, in my eyes. It's how we should all approach our work, it should be hailed as a shining example for all the effort and thought you've put into it. I can't wait to read more. I feel like I've finally stumbled onto the path of writers who fulfill their commitment to this site and it's all in thanks to you.

[Marie Anzalone]

No worries about being pedantic... you can see from the reviews that you were not alone in thinking that. Truth be told, under all my blustering and excuses, is plain old ordinary fear. I spent a long time working on shoring up the cracked foundation, and now I am ready to actually ask the right questions about housemates. The thought that, after all this time, I would even be in a place to surrender- that terrifies me. Because, after all, that is what the whole mess is about... surrendering one's will and ego. Who is ever ready for that?

[jkhatz]

So true. Foolish pride and stubborness kind of go hand in hand with all of that. I suffer from both... horribly so.

[Marie Anzalone]

lol I always know I am in trouble when I hear the rumbling sound of fortress walls crumbling around my feet...

[Matthew Kult]

Hello Marie,

Patiently amorous like a school girl with a crush and unaware that he feels the same.

Always,

Matthew
A.

[Marie Anzalone]

but if she knew he felt the same, it would not be nearly as poignant... just as in real life. Unrequited love always tastes sweeter but somehow always leaves you hungry for more substance.

I have been a professional success and failure at many things. Nothing terrifies me as much as being a fool in love. Even being a fools possibly in love gives me nightmares. Reciprocated? Hell, if I thought that, I would run for the hills. Maybe.

Appreciate the review, good sir.

[I, Rene]

I have been here and done this, waited that long times 3, do not fall into that trap. If a man loves you , he will be there, he will find a way. He WILL find a way, if he TRULY loves you. But..if he is the one YOU truly love, you will have no choice but to wait. Women are funny that way.

[Marie Anzalone]

Ah but therein is the dilemma, no? To wait or not? Should the good lady not say anything, and expect the gentleman to read her mind, she can only be hurt by his ignorance that her feelings exist. Should she say something.. she risks rejection outright, reciprocation without the means to consummate, or the embarassment of yet another failure if something does come of it. Not saying something is the only safe bet there is in life. To misquote, "a ship at harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are for." sometimes 3 year would be time wasted- a lot of freaking time wasted- but sometimes, it might just be the time it takes to build something. The difference may be something so subtle as the way the breeze shifted as the morning dew burned off, and the breeze shifted to bring in the ocean scent.

[TL Boehm]

Yes, spake the heart
through the reality
of a woman's mouth-
but only if he were
allowed to know
where to find me,
waiting. - wow. isn't that a moment of truth. I enjoyed the tone, the feel of this poem - the paucity of words. Very much like Emily Burns - each word used. I am a waster of them for the most part so I deeply admire those who write little and say much.

[Marie Anzalone]

Thank you, TL, and a very happy birthday to you! I am too absorbed in thesis and business plan writing right now to give a good review, but will try to swing by later and give you one or two. As for this piece, I will say onyl that I try to experiment at times with dofferent forms, fonts, etc. to see what makes a poem "work." I was not entirely happy with this one, but it suits the person I wrote it about, and it suits its source as a dream sequence. I normally am more known for saying that something takes the time and space it takes to say what I need to say.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

wow, my favorite poem i have read for sometime...especially the last stanza...as long as he knows where to find me waiting...then, yes, i would wait.

sometimes we wait nearly a lifetime to find that love...if we are patient...he or she will arrive...sometimes just out of the blue.

[Marie Anzalone]

Patience or foolhardiness, I wonder, jacob? The message I got (this was a seeress in a dream) was to stop looking around- because apparently, I may not need to any more- and start looking within. What a scary journey, that, if true. Like all dreams, this is widely open to interpretation :-)

I appreciate your review today, my friend. Thank you.

[Talal Hussain]

great composition...loved it :-)

[Marie Anzalone]

Thank you, Talal. I do not know if you are new to site or not; I saw only a few works posted to your page. Welcome, if you are new. Nice to meet you, either way.

[Talal Hussain]

Yes i have only written two short stories yet...pleasure to meet you :-)

[Ken Simm.]

Are you waiting for him or who you want him to be? That is the question. As always thought provoking, intelligent and powerful without being overwhelming.

[Marie Anzalone]

Your question is at the crux of the dilemma, Ken, and is very astute. I do not know the answer. I was taken offguard by the question mentioned in the poem, I guess, and my response was more truthful than usual for coming from an unguarded space. Waiting for him to decide if he would take a proffered hand, I guess, is the closest I could come up with. Willing to be patient for the time it takes, for the right one... but also not willing to waste time on someone who does not want to consider it. Wisdom to know the difference, courage to speak. Courage to ASK in the first place? Because asking for what I need has always been painful for me? Who knows? I left this open-ended because that is exactly how it all feels. Open-ended and on hold. Thought-provoking to the nth degree for sure on this side of the equation. But that is what good seers do, I guess. tehy do not lead you to answers. They lead you ask the right questions.

[Ken Simm.]

I always found she came when I wasn't looking for her.

[Marie Anzalone]

I seem to deny her existence vehemently everyn time, if and when she makes a showing :-)