Dalliance

Be mindful where you walk.
Some of these hills
are full of things best left unsaid.

Here things grow wild

that cut and stab--

roses that never bloom.

In my mind,

honeysuckle is sweeter

and lacks the thorns.

If you will not be deterred

By stings and nettles and bites

come along, then,
follow the deer path
straight up past the scrub cedars
and the tired, old oak.
I'll be at the creek
toes bare

in the cool, clear water--
waiting.

Dalliance

is best shared.

 

Reviews

[KUFU]

I love to dilly dally...usually gets me in trouble though with some authoritarian type, but you, you wait with:

"toes bare
in the cool, clear water--"

...how accommodating. The civility of this piece is what draws me in. You write this as if to say, "even though summer is fading fast, we can still kick back and enjoy the sublime re-freshingness of Fall, And laze away the extended dusk in the cool shade of an Autumnal glade"...OK that was way too rhymee...hehe, but the peace of this poem is quite refreshing.
This poem reads like the intentions of an Oriental Rock Garden or reflecting pool. Calm, serene, beautiful.
A delight to read.

[Gandré]

I take this advice, Emily. And there is no need to wish for the superior for everything has its price, we pay with the consequence of our actions. nice wisdom and one stays at home, without any artificial brightening up this was dear to my soul.

[Patient Poet (Yos)]

Beautiful , oh, just the right way to say , Come to my honey adventure :)

[Dane Osborne]

This was wonderful to read. It reminds me of when you strip away all the barriers that make up the way you are conditioned to think and when this happens you feel more at one with reality. You feel apart of nature rather than just a person who's in nature. Thats how this made me feel. Great work:D

[cest la vie]

After a hard day @ work, what a delightful way to start the evening with this poem. The message is daring & comfortable, and most inviting. Very nice!!

[Jibey]

What a beautiful picture.. I think I shall take the path to the secret place where you are cooling your feet, plucking some honeysuckle on the way... ready to enjoy sweet nectar under the oak

[Adela Muresan]

Kowel :) .
I like the first part the most, very clever description of the mind.
The imagery is wonderful.
Nice work.

A.M.

[Antony]

Emily, I love the flirtatious invitation....to come and take a chance, even though the path may not be one without scrapes and scratches, our toes will touch in playful laughter of childish dreams. That is how I read this piece and enjoyed its gentle message.
Antony

[Canadian Peach]

May I take a shot at this? Are you telling the reader (well...this reader, perhaps??) that life is all about the taking. Grab it mercilessly and lap it up for all it's worth. Anyone can purchase a rose, but a honeysuckle is sweeter on the lips and when found in the wild, a treasure. The tired old oak, what a wonderful piece of visualization, often thought of a place to rest, or a place to wait. But not the author, she'll be lively splashing in a creek that keeps on moving. The author states waiting, but the statements until that line leave me believing that she won't be waiting for long. Too much to explore in the world.

To die for. Absolutely esoteric and beautiful.

[J.P. Bristow]

The word Dalliance has always been bittersweet for me...and thats what this work resonated for me....bittersweet. Like Nigel Place's song the "Lost Dalliance"...well written and heartfelt---a connective write.

[vindictivesunshine]

The hills are alive in my mind with an explosion of hi-definition, 10 times optical zoom.....but fun and jokes aside this is a spot of literary genius. I love the carefree nature of it all. Awesome job