Velvet and Silk

A Poem by Nicole Laszlo

I remember�"

I remember this cage-

And

I remember�"

How this cage-

How it held paper cranes

White paper cranes

That tirelessly fought

How they sought a way out

Fervently

So much so

That they often dented their fragile exterior

And tore their own wings

Some of them became warped

This never stopped

Wings beating like that of a humming bird’s

Slamming from wall to wall of their home

“White tornadoes”

Is what passerby’s called them

Chaos incarcerated

That’s what I called it

Then�"

Then there was a wayfaring man

With grey sleeves and old, worn hands

He walked casually up to the cage

And broke the lock

Pulling the door open with one large knotted finger

He walked away with nothing more

Immediately they were still

Completely and unequivocally still

I stared in dumbfounded amazement

And as days passed

They remained that way

They weren’t tumultuous, rushing out

No-

Instead, they slowly left, one by one

Every morning a few would fly out

Every night, the same few would return

And as the days passed

That number would increase

Still, no matter the number, they came back

Always to their cage

They were surrounded by trees and grass and light

Where possibly would they have gone elsewhere?

So alas, they all left the cage

And the last one I followed

I followed him unto darkness

Everything was cloaked in curtains of shadow

I gently pushed and pulled them aside

Shadows-

Just so you know,

Feel like a mix of velvet and silk

They’re heavy

But they slide off your forearm

And as they embrace your back

They seem to allay your nerves

All the while sending chills through them

Then, as the curtains seemed to disperse

There was a faint light

So faint, in fact

That my eyes took a moment to find it

But find it they did

So I followed it, seeing as I was lost

I didn’t have much of a choice

But it didn’t take me very far

Just a few short steps-

And I became an intruder

On a place of inexplicable peace

The first thing I noticed-

Was the smell of sawdust

And how it reminded me of a place that I’d never been

The first thing I saw-

Was the window

A quaint little window

That found its place at the top of the room

Just under the vaulted ceiling

Its glass was like that of crumpled paper

Crushed by human hands

Unfurled by forces unknown to me

And through its surface pierced a light

That was once purely white

Now, through this window

It was faded

And in its light

Floated dust

And as my eyes darted through these endless particles

I noticed that I wasn’t alone

I’d found the cranes

And they rested

On the decrepit hardwood floor

On the single chair

Pulled out about a foot

From the lonely table

Hidden in the corner of the room

They floated up to the window

Or up in the rafters

Where the light barely reached-

If it reached at all

But the longer I stayed in this room

The brighter it became

And as the day drew to its close

The light began to fade

And I followed the cranes out

Back to their opened cage

Author's Note

It's a longer one.. I'd absolutely love interpretations, though! All opinions are welcome.

My Review

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Reviews

Coyote Poetry

The poem is very good. Had the feel of wanting to stay and wanting to run.
"Shadows-
Just so you know,
Feel like a mix of velvet and silk
They’re heavy"
The above lined stood out to me. Many strong emotions and battles described in the words. I felt was someone living the cage and loving the open door only. Thank you Nicole for sharing the excellent poetry.
Coyote