I decided long ago to never second guess the person who is my “Guest” this week. It is a strange circumstance in that I cannot consider her a GUEST when she is a part of the very fabric of this amazing place. The decision to open this site stemmed from me and Marie wanting the P.A.D. sessions we had experienced to go on. Taking a cue from our joint blog, ACROSS THE LAKE, EERILY, Marie and I messaged back-and-forth wanting to have our poet friends have a hand in promoting their own work here at CREATIVE BLOOMINGS (formerly POETIC BLOOMINGS). By the time our conversation had ended the foundation of what you see here was up and running. It is and remains our joint effort even in either of our absenses. Marie Elena Good, don’t EVER think you’re free of this place by any stretch of your imaginings. For as you can see, every time you think you’re out, I pull you back in!
***
ONCE UPON A TIME: She daily poemed (and watched as they grew), while posting and hosting a blog (or two). But life called, her muse stalled; regretfully she bid adieu. With publications next to nil, she’s working on her kid lit, still. But market research does her in – she hardly knows where to begin. She’s pleased as punch to look around and see what’s Blooming on home ground – to host again (though as a guest), with chance to pen with poeming’s best!
PROMPT #160 – “EMILY DICKINSON”: Take your cue from Emily Dickinson and begin your poem with the line – “Beauty crowds me till I die”
It doesn’t have to be a physical death. It could be the “death” of something… your time, negativity… you decide the terms.
WALT’S EXPIRATION:
LOST IN THE CROWD
“Beauty crowds me till I die” ~ Emily Dickinson
I feel it closing in,
and I am surrounded
by the crushing beauty of life.
Majesty and magnificence shadow
my insignificance, squeezing me
until I am empty and tossed
onto the pile of misused muse.
Another wizard of words
awaits my space and time will march
on in beauty, until HE dies!
(C) Walter J Wojtanik – 2014
MARIE’S FADE OUT:
‘til death
Should beauty crowd me ‘til I die
And I should die before I wake,
Come waltz with me ‘neath moonlit sky;
Come lie to me for old times’ sake.
Convince me of my silken lips
Pretend I am your only love
I’ll sigh as song and moon eclipse –
Though it’s not me you’re singing of.
Should jealousy devour me,
Suspicion instigate my death,
I’ll likely simply let it be …
Let bitterness inhale my breath.
© Marie Elena Good, 2014
AH! THAT FELT JUST LIKE OLD TIMES!
THANKS FOR RETURNING TO HELP OUT, MARIE!
LIKE THE QUOTE SAYS, “BEAUTY CROWDS ME UNTIL I DIE!” MY LOT IN LIFE! 😀
POETIC BLOOMINGS 
Responses
MARIE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Welcome back!! I missed you!!!!!!! ❤
Erin, do you have any idea how much I enjoyed seeing your name in the “Brilliant Blooms” post yesterday morning, and reading your forever gorgeous words?? ❤ !
Aww thank you, Marie!! That’s amazing. ❤
Marie Elena…what joy to see you here! And such a lovely prompt…your poem is exquisite. And yours is not too shabby either Mr.W.
Thanks S.E. 😉 MrW
His Beauty
I felt it pressing in on me,
His beauty I could not escape,
Suffocating, but pleasantly,
And I, I watched His love take shape
Until I couldn’t breathe for joy,
I couldn’t even see for tears,
I felt Him come in and destroy
The hollow ache of countless years;
Beauty came crowding close around
Me as I stood and breathed it in,
And I could feel His grace abound,
I felt Him kill my doubt, my sin.
© Copyright Erin Kay Hope – 2014
Uplifting, as always. “I felt Him come in and destroy the hollow ache of countless years” … YES, and beautifully expressed.
Thank you, Marie! That is what He does and I’ve definitely felt it more recently. 🙂
I so agree with Marie Elena, Erin…especially the line she’s quoted…a lovely bit in a beautiful poem. Nicely done.
Thank you, Sharon!
There are so many vivid lines in this work, but for me, “the hollow ache of countless years” is chief among them. Well penned.
Thanks, William! That means a lot!
You are such an old soul in a young body. I just mean wisdom beyond your years : )
Haha I understand what you mean 🙂 And thank you, Debi.
Spot on, Debi.
Lovely and heartfelt as always, Erin. You have such a genuine joy in your verse which always shines through, lighting the world for the rest of us.
Claudsy, your words mean so much to me. Thank you, my friend! ❤
You’re very welcome, Erin. ❤
Erin. Your supernatural folding of surrender with rescue here was heart thumping for me. Loved this.
Thanks, Damon! Your comment itself is beautiful. Thank you. 🙂
This flows perfectly, Erin. Beautifully well-written.
Thank you, Linda! 🙂
Gorgeous poem, Erin!
Thanks, Sara!
A matching pair: ME and Walt,like fish and chips, Laurel and Hardy, Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern….. Two lovely poems. Here’s mine.
Should beauty crowd me till I die
you can be sure – I will not lie –
the ache of nature’s loveliness
is marred by age’s ugliness.
The glow of artistic masterpiece
contributes to our happiness
which our decay cannot outweigh,
but only the memory
of our youthful beauty
can take away the ghastliness
of growing old and dying.
Thanks for the welcome, Viv! I see you joined me in putting a bit of a morbid spin on this. 😉 That’s unusual for me, but it’s where it wanted to take me. I’ve missed your writing, Viv. Thank you for this piece!
When you’re as old as I am….. 😀
I really love this Viv…however, I think you are aging rather gracefully…just saying.
I love this poem despite its allusions to morbidity and mortality. Part of that is the “ness” rhymes, which I think are masterful, but mainly I like the line, “The glow of artistic masterpiece / contributes to our happiness”. That, I submit, alludes to the undying nature of the arts, humanity’s contribution to beauty. Such as this poem, for example.
William, you do me honour, thank you. The poem just popped out unannounced, but yes, the arts are compensation.
My M-I-L fell recently and we were afraid her hip was broken – thankfully not. On the way to the hospital though she said, “The 90’s are just no fun.”
Amazing piece, Viv, with its juxtaposition between beauty and aging. Beautifully done.
Vivian, you preserved hope in this… memories of youthful beauty are grasped tightly in your words.
nice work, Viv
Oh my! I can’t believe that I took a positive spin, and you took a negative! I can feel my face sagging as I write this.
Sorreee!
Welcome back, Meg!!
Thanks so much, Hen! Good to be here!
!! 🙂
MARIE! Ah! Now all’s right with the world.
Awww, shucks. Thanks kind sir!
You know, I had a notion you might be guest-hosting this week.
Seriously? What made you think that?
A hunch; not based on any information. It just felt right.
Wow! 😀
THE VIEW FROM EMILY’S WINDOW
Beauty crowds me till I die.
Although my world be small,
I fain would die in beauty’s lie
than die to none at all.
Life, I know, will surely end —
when summer ends, comes snow—
but if this Beauty be a friend,
ah, what a way to go!
copyright 2014, William Preston
Oh my word. LOVE this, beginning with the title. “I fain would die in beauty’s lie than die to none at all” is my favorite line in this well-penned gem.
Beautiful, just bee u tea ful
I love this, William. The classic pacing makes it a gem and the sentiments make it universal. Wonderful!
this is perfect!
This is brilliantly written, and I shall remember your cheer!
If I could write like this – I would never stop writing… Delightful! I particularly love:
Life, I know, will surely end —
when summer ends, comes snow—
but if this Beauty be a friend,
ah, what a way to go!
Still trying to endorse this sentiment…
The honored poet is embodied well in this.
William, this is glorious…and so Dickinsonian…something I can even imagine her writing…very nice, esp. love “but if this Beauty be a friend,/ ah, what a way to go!”
A winter hater? Well, at least you express your opinion in lovely verse.
Teeheehee! I’m with you, Janice! 😀
Succinct…I love the way you brought this to a close, William…exclamation worthy, indeed!
I love your choice of words, and style in this, William.
Walt: As always, your words are beautifully strung, and undeniably from the core of your heart. Keep poeming, always and forever.
Walt and Marie, your examples are superb. But then, that’s nothing new. Thanks very much for the inspirations. And thanks, Marie, for a view of your other eye.
*wink*
*wink*
Beauty
c r o w d s
memory.
copyright 2014, William Preston
Better such a crowd than a desert strewn with barren vision, eh, William? Marvelous thought.
You KNOW I love much said in few words. This little gem can be humorous or concern-causing, depending on your take. Oh how I admire your poems.
Very cool. Very.
“Beauty crowds me till I die” ~ Emily Dickinson
SECRETS THE GALAXY KEEPS
Neon lights blinking come-ons
To those enamored by Topography
–– Beauty’s surface sense ––
recklessly take Helm
Begging transport to the Moon
Whose Countenance conceals
Secrets the Galaxy keeps hidden
In the folds of Flash and Orbit
Society entraps foolish lovers
With false Idolatries
Swearing Beauty is so Deep
It burrows to both Heart and Soul
But Angels at my Ear have Whispered
Truth: Beauty crowds me till I die.
Seek instead, they Counsel me,
The Purity beneath the Heart’s façade
#
Beauty and wisdom crowd this poem, in my opinion.
Seek instead, they Counsel me,
The Purity beneath the Heart’s façade… ahhhhhhhh
Taking a page from MEG’s book here–WOW! Go, Sal! Amazing.
I heartily second that WOW! The title drew me in and made me want to read quickly to see where you were going with this. Yeah, right. I ended up reading it slowly, and reading it again, to take it all in and be sure I didn’t miss a nuance, a meaning, an angle. WOW.
Sal, I loved your take on this prompt. That sly countenance conceals indeed what lies beyond, beneath.
I love the surreal qualities within this Sal…and still, there is a grounded feel to it. The last line in particular is a killer.
Read this three times, Sal, and it just keeps getting better.
PAGEANT
Beauty crowds me till I die in peace
for, like the cries of migratory geese,
it flies incessantly throughout the day
to meet my eye each step along my way
and greets my mind and heart without surcease.
From daffodils of spring; from ancient Greece;
from trombones uttering their sweet release;
from photographs that speak in hues of grey,
beauty crowds me till I die
and frees my soul. No monarch can decrease
the wonderment I feel; no golden fleece
could share the value of the willow’s sway
in gentle breezes; nothing else can stay
the ever-cycling sunset’s deep cerise.
Beauty crowds me till I die.
copyright 2014, William Preston
That last stanza is so wonderful
Just marvelous, William. I was flowing along with the words, seeing each statements image like a slide show, and got to the last line–it took me into a double take because it truncated the first line and left out “in peace.” My mind had filled it in, even when eyes didn’t see it. How odd. Perhaps that’s how the beauty was seen for that specific line–as a circle to blend with the first one.
Regardless, I loved this one, too. You always have such terrific verse, my friend.
That’s so interesting, Clauds, how our minds can do that – fill in words our eyes do not see. That happens to me sometimes too, even to the point of having to re-read to be sure.
You are right about Bill’s verse. He is a master, IMHO.
Thank you both for the kind words. As for the poem, I’m now wondering if I remembered the structure of a rondeau; better look it up.
William, your words made the wonderment swell in me. This poem elicits quiet awe.
From the title to the last line, this is masterful William. I love your skilled use of repetition of the prompt line “beauty crowds me till I die” – the way it’s woven seamlessly, or set apart, really brings the poem together in a unique way. It’s spectacular.
Beautiful flow of words. Love how you stagger the repetition of the phrase.
I cannot believe you were able to do more than one, and poem another winner! I love ‘the ever-cycling sunset’s deep cerise’
Beauty
‘Beauty crowds me till I die’
floods of emotion bent to sigh.
A sunrise, a sunset with hues
so lovely my heart is bruised
to shades of blue and indigo.
A symphony, violins, the piccolos
stir a maelstrom as I succumb to tears
of fiercest joy. In celestial spheres
angelic choirs of majesty could not
but weep, too, for this beauty wrought
by some thought higher than
the dreams and talents of mere man.
Oh, beauty crowds me till I die
and I ask, why, oh, why
must beauty cause this exquisite ache
that makes my heart so nearly break?
Welcome Marie- so nice to have you back. I’ve missed your sweet self.
Oboyoboy…. the sights and sounds herein are stupendous, in my opinion. Utterly gorgeous work.
Oh yes – utterly gorgeous for sure! “Floods of emotion bent to sigh” – *sigh* – ADORE this phrase. This whole piece is elegant as can be, and the subtle internal rhymes are fabulous.
Thanks to YOUR sweet self for the kind comment. 😉
Simply a beauty in itself is this poem, Debi. And your final question speaks for so many of us when we see something so indescribably beautiful that an ache is the only response possible.
Debi, you’ve expressed perfectly the longing to embrace those glories that we find have lovingly embraced us.
Another well-penned and lovely poem…it does indeed leave an “exquisite ache that makes my heart so nearly break”. Nicely done.
I love the colors you expressed in this bruising and your last two lines are exquisite, too…beautiful poem, Debi!!
Beauty Crowds Me Till I Die
By David De Jong
“Beauty crowds me till I die” ~ Emily Dickinson
Beauty to the eye your essence brings
Crowds of joys, love simply sings
Me serenely complete, more alive.
Till eternity fanes to survive,
I cherish you, till heaven descends,
Die I shall, but my love never ends.
These couplets roll like an old-timey spiritual, it seems to me. Wonderful.
This is gorgeous, David. It speaks of so much touched and changed by beauty and our experience of it. Lovely.
Die I shall, but my love never ends… such a lovely thought
You know I love your always-uplifting, lovely work. This one does not disappoint.
David, I must agree with Claudsy, your poem speaks to the beauty of our response to beauty about us as well.
Oh my. David this is wonderful. Truly.
I’d love to hear this read aloud. Beautifully written!
I couldn’t stop at one today…
When we see a mountain range of purple and smoky hue or a Technicolor
sunset that splashes the sky with rose and orange, our heart leaps.
When we hear the sweet song of the thrush, the fiddle tune of a cricket,
the soft coo of a baby or mournful cry of the dove, beauty crowds us till we die.
Beauty awakens something in us. It is a longing, I think, not for creation’s excellence alone but for the Creator, for there is a witness within us that won’t be silent – not chance, not chance – design.
And we long for Shangri-La, Narnia, Eden, Heaven… peace, the Lion, perfection and God.
Beauty is
another word
for longing.
It didn’t post exactly to form as written but no matter.
I never can remember the name of this form; haibun, is it? Whatever it is, it is beautiful and heartfelt.
Are you trying to outdo yourself today, Debi? If so, you may have achieved it with this one. Tremendous. Haibun, yes, though I’ve not seen it in this particular format. As you say, it didn’t post as you’d written it.
No matter. It’s FANTASTIC as it stands.
Glitch in the works today. I posted my comment and it disappeared. No matter. I can still type.
Debi, you may have outdone yourself with this one. The last one was fantastic, and this one is right up there with it. I’m reading it as Haibun, too. Lovely and lovingly done. You can be proud of your efforts today for sure.
Debi, I’ve said similar words to you before, but I’ll say this again: I’ve enjoyed watching you grow as a poet. I’ve enjoyed it IMMENSELY. This haibun (Bill is right) is filled to overflowing with exquisite charm, and gives rightful praise to our Creator. Sal is beaming, I’m sure.
Nice example of a well-worded prose poem, or rather a haibun…I just noticed you used the prompt as a haiku very ably at the end…well done!
I love this, particularly the beautiful ending.
Yes, there is beauty in longing and longing in beauty.
Reminds me of Rilke’s words:
Go to the limits of your longing…
Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror…
Just keep going…
Nearby is the country they call life…
what a lovely haibun
Beauty is your last three lines – truly!
BEAUTY CROWDS ME
a lovely stranger pressing his
skin against mine
in the crowded
subway car at rush hour,
nudging me ever so slightly
during the curves
of my commute
as if to remind me
not to forget
he is there
What a lovely bit of sensuality.
Kimiko, it’s been too long since you were last here. Welcome back.
You’ve taken the prompt in a different direction with this and I thoroughly enjoyed its imagery and sentiment. Wonderfully done.
I, too, love this different path. It always amazes me how we can take the same prompt and get so many beautiful different destinations. Your words create a wonderful mood of emotional tension.
It has been entirely TOO long! Going to try to be a bit more consistent again … as this garden helps my soul grow!
It works magic for all of us, I think, Kimiko. 🙂
Wow. I can’t think of a lovelier compliment, Kimiko. It brings my heart joy!
Love this unique take, and sensuality that is tastefully and creatively handled (“during the curves of my commute” – brilliant). Well done!
Yes, nicely done.
welcome back, Kimiko. This is a lovely poem.
MARIE! You’ve come home! So lovely to see you here today and to see your verse blazing on the chalkboard for us to study. You and Walt have given us heady examples to emulate, but it looks like those in the audience are excelling at the lesson. Me? We’ll see in a little bit if I can come up to snuff in this illustrious group.
On a personal note, I so love seeing you here, my old friend.
Awww … thank you SO much, Clauds! It really is good to be here, taking time to read carefully and converse with my incredibly talented poet friends. I miss it terribly, but also know I can’t possibly keep up long-term as I used to.
As for our poets excelling? Oh. My. YES!!
Hugs to my wise and wonderful friend. 🙂
You’re welcome and thank you. We never seem to have all the time we’d like to chat with our friends, do we?
The difficulty of keeping up long-term is understandable, but there’s no doubt but that the garden is sunnier when you’re in it.
My offering for today. Enjoy.
“Beauty crowds me ‘til I die” ~ Emily Dickinson
Inside life’s soup bowl of starry nights
and fistfuls of meadow’s delights,
I slumber within wakefulness
amid Gaian beauty’s awareness,
to taste and smell, touch and see
those jewels laid out before me.
Beauty roars with its constant song,
delivering peace when things go wrong,
drawing attention to life’s bonuses
of Nature’s flavorful sating plusses,
leaving me awaiting Beauty’s final meal
before Winter’s heralding white peal.
Beauty roars with its constant song… ah, so true, whatever season she is glorious. I like this Claudsy.
Thanks so much, Debi. Isn’t it amazing how loud quiet can be sometimes. 🙂
I like it too! Especially the fierce, chaotic loudness of it! A different take and a welcome one…well done Claudsy.
Beauty delivers, and you’ve “brought it,” my friend! I like the “containers” into which you’ve placed your roaring beauty … soup bowls and fistfuls, music and nature itself. So very poetic and lovely!
Aw, thank you, Marie. I’m glad you liked it.
Your first line caught my attention right away: the startling imagery of stars in a soup bowl had me wondering if the Pleiades had an extended family. Another startling image was a “roaring” beauty bringing peace. The whole effect was to make me se beauty as dynamic, life itself, really. Marvellous.
Thank you so much, Bill. I’m so happy you liked it. And that it grabbed you.
Beautiful! I love the “soup bowl of starry nights” and “to taste and smell, touch and see” — makes me hungry for “those jewels…”
Aw, thanks so much, Nurit. I’m glad it struck such a chord with you.
nice, Claudsy
Thanks, Linda.
What stunning images in this, Claudsy. I love your ending, as well.
Thank you so much, Sara. I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
Marie Elena!!! Glad to see you here. Love your poem today.
Thank you so much, Linda! As I said above, I’m not sure why I took such a morbid direction with it. It’s just where it wanted to go.
It doesn’t matter that it is a different direction than you normally go. It is very good.
Thank you so much. 🙂
FLAMBOYANT
(a shadorma)
“Beauty crowds me till I die”
~ Emily Dickinson
There she stands,
flamboyant and bright;
tall and red,
what a sight.
I, planted in her shadow,
will wither and die.
2014-06-22
P. Wanken
This will be posted Monday on my blog with an accompanying photo for a “100 Day Challenge” I’m in. The photo was posted today from someone in a different time zone, who is ahead of me. Which works nicely since I’ve been using the photos posted as my inspiration.
Lovely, Paula. I’ll have to look for the inspiration of this. It must be amazing to tempt you into this one. 🙂
Yes – it’s an impressive photo. Now live on my blog. 🙂
🙂
Even without the picture this is powerful. The last two lines prompt a small gasp.
Yes, literally prompt a small gasp … me too. I’m looking forward to seeing the photo with it also. It makes me think of my African violet that bloomed gorgeously for years. Then I got two African violet starters from my father-in-law. I put them on either side of mine, and within just a few days, she began to look unhealthy. I nursed her a bit, but she didn’t make it. Does it seem silly to think she was jealous and heartbroken?
No I don’t think it’s silly. Otherwise I might not have written of such. (Photo is live on my blog, now.)
Thank you, Debi – glad to know the words can stand on their own.
Many interpretations can live in this poem, I think. Your power as a poet is so impressive.
ABSOLUTELY.
Thank you, Marie. ❤
You betcha! ❤
That, Sir, is quite a compliment. Thank you.
Evoking a variety of associations. The seemingly simple yet deep images captivate me.
Thank you, Nurit. If I can evoke anything with my words I am pleased. 🙂
Here’s the link to my blog, where there’s an accompanying photo:
http://whenwordsescape.wordpress.com/2014/06/23/flamboyant/ (or find the pingback, further down the thread, here).
This is beautiful Paula and I will be looking at your blog also to see what prompted it!
Thank you, Sharon. 🙂
Wow! Just looked at the photo. Wonderful inspiration for this lovely poem.
Sara – that photo was a stunner, huh? I knew when I saw it I had to use it. Thanks.
“Lost: One friend.”
Beauty crowds me till I die—
the breadth of friendship charmed
Arbors linked in faithful hearts
with comfort poised beside.
Wild the current of burden’s fields
like summer’s heat on grain.
Where shared eternal woe and joy
supplanted Adam’s stain.
Drink me in O Summer’s blight
Weave your stamens free.
Magnify the fragrant mourn
till splendor binds lost friend with me.
Such a classic wonder, Jlynn. Gorgeous and reads so eloquently.
Oh, truly a beautiful read.
Clauds took the word right from my mouth – classic. Some poets just seem to have that ability to pen poetry that has an instant classic feel to it … as though I’m reading from a poetry book of days gone by. You are one such poet, and I admire your work greatly.
Yes; the elevated tone is breath-taking. Makes me wonder how I passed English.
This is almost Shakespearean in tone and word choice J’lyne…I love it! Favourite phrase/line for me…”Magnify the fragrant mourn/till splendor binds lost friend with me.” — simply beautiful, and poignant as well.
if I didn’t know you’d written this I would think that it is a famous old poem. Yes, as Claudsy said…very classic feel to this one. Nice work.
Thanks, guys!
This gorgeous poem sounds like it was written in another century.
Marie–good to see you back at CB (formally affectionately known as PB) although your presence dwelleth here eternally. 🙂
I agree whole-heartedly!! ♥!!
❤ !
Thank you so much, Janice. ❤
It truly is very uplifting to feel the warmth and intimacy amongst all the beautiful flowers in this wonderful garden-
“Beauty crowd me till I die”- Emily Dickinson
A Prayer
Beauty – crowd me till I die
Let me soak in your third eye
Lead my hand to find a way
and scoop the silver, in the gray
Let me breathe your dull sweet ache
Feed on bright, in blackened lace
Let my vision grow and bloom
see, beyond the masked costumes
Understanding, rise and fall
may I lift the good in all
Beauty — crowd me till I die
And, when its time— just let me fly
So nice, Priti. This is marvelous. “Understanding, rise and fall
may I lift the good in all
Beauty — crowd me till I die
And, when its time— just let me fly”
Terrific final lines.
Oops– in all the excitement of crowding beauty – I forgot the s- in the original quote– ” beauty crowds me —-“!
We got the idea anyway, Priti. Still lovely.
Yes, but it is poetic license, Priti. 😉 And without this “oops,” we would not have been able to enjoy your commanding take on the prompt. EXCELLENT work here!
This reads like a song!! Such beautiful sentiments, Priti!
This reads almost like a blessing.
Love this prayer! Makes me want to repeat: Scoop the silver, in the gray… lift the good in all… and when its time — just let me fly…”
Really lovely, Priti.
Priti – this is simply lovely, so touching…I was especially caught by “Let me soak in your third eye”… profound and mystical too…
oh, I simply LOVE this. Perfect rhythm and rhyme, lovely prayer. Last 4 lines are great, especially “may I life the good in all”. I think I will pray that this evening.
Me, too! I love this poem, Priti.
“Beauty Crowd Me” by Emily Dickinson
Beauty crowds me til I die
And well that day should be
Upon the closing of my eye
Beauty lies down with me
I would tread that starry trail
That now no eyes can see
Where angels tread, no feet shall fail
In such glorious company!
Wonderful poem, Marian. Calm, soothing, and reads so well.
I agree…such a smooth read…love that starry trail, Marian. 🙂
Goodness, Marian … can you write less than flawlessly flowing art? Beautiful.
This sounds exactly like Dickinson. Wonderful.
I would tread that starry trail
That now no eyes can see… wonderful thought.
Oh Marian, I can imagine this being read or said as a prayer at a memorial or funeral…it’s such a wonderful piece and so holy feeling, a blessing almost. Very nice.
excellent work, Marian.
This poem made me feel as if I were floating!
[…] Creative Bloomings- PROMPT #160 – “EMILY DICKINSON”: Take your cue from Emily Dickinson and begin your poem with the line – “Beauty crowds me till I die” […]
Breathing Space
Beauty crowds me till I die
all of the hurry and worry disappears
for they have no proper place in nature.
All of this leafed loveliness embraces me
it fills me with wonder – understands me deeply,
it decodes my DNA – strands spiral transparently.
I’m not a secret-sacred-separate being out here,
just another lumbering but wonderful one of them
only slowly will I die to my human errant ways…
swaying as a small sapling in a sea of trees
reaching to the ever-present giving-sun,
ambitious and ready for the real mystery.
There’s much to be learned
humbled under shadow of fern,
many lessons to be gleaned
within the silent in betweens –
stillness whispers and screams
it speaks in streams and foliage
and it will wait for me to notice.
Lotus pink in peaceful bloom,
she assumes this achievement
with no hindrance or help from me.
Just as these flowering lungs within
they do not begin one breath
or end another of my petition,
I’m offered this gift of sipping air
and just as freely as its been given
I will not despair when the time has arrived –
the moment my breath finally meshes with all that is
roots will roil productively with new purpose.
The collective pulse that pushes and pulls
draws me ever close to my last and first final-beautiful-breaths
and beauty crowds me till I die.
Copyright © Hannah Gosselin 2014
*sigh*
Oh how the beauty of your soul resides in your words. I could repeat every single phrase and practically every syllable here as proof … but that would make no sense now, would it? But this? I have to repeat this:
“many lessons to be gleaned
within the silent in betweens”
WOW.
Marie!! You warm my heart…it’s SUCH a treat…you’re such a treat. Thank you for your kind and uplifting words my friend!! ♥
❤
♥!
This poem and the poet have a “proper place in nature.” Superb.
Thank you so much, William…this makes my heart so happy. 🙂
So soulfully written. Great poem.
Thank you so much, Nutrit!
Your love and awe of nature shines through
I’m so glad…thank you, Debi!
Such beauty seems to flow from you with natural ease Hannah — I am always taken aback when I read your work after having not read it for awhile. Such a lovely piece and so very much something ED would have loved, I am quite sure. Just glorious.
Sharon, your words of encouragement are such a gift…thank you so much for being here. ♥
my favorite lines:
There’s much to be learned
humbled under shadow of fern,
many lessons to be gleaned
within the silent in betweens –
stillness whispers and screams
it speaks in streams and foliage
and it will wait for me to notice.
I love the way you write about nature.
Thank you, Linda! 🙂
Lovely, Hannah, with its windings and turnings, dips and sweeps. Like sitting in a small boat on a river, moving down to the sea. Thank you.
Thank you, Claudsy…what a lovely comment!!
Marie! So exciting to see you hosting here, our dear. And what a lovely prompt to host for. Walt is right, you can never escape. I hope to get a post out and comment on these perfectly penned poems.
Thank you, kind sir! I’m enjoying myself immensely! Can’t wait to see yours. 🙂
Yea! Marie! What a lovely surprise. You and Walt have written such stunning openers, I read them several times.
You’re so sweet!
Living in Beauty
May beauty crowd me till I die
with silver rains, with butterflies,
works of art that make me cry,
a sunflower’s shaded velvet eye.
If beauty crowds me till I die
may rainbow colors float nearby,
and music fill my ears. A sigh
escapes my lips–a whispered good-bye.
Sucj marvellous monorhyming.
…. praised by such a rotten typist.
Teehee!
But it could be a word in another language?
Thank you, William!
Okay now this is a “wish I’d written that.” Adding the first word “may” affords a positive and uplifting spin that refreshes my soul. YES! May beauty crowd me til I die! The rest has a “These are a few of my favorite things” flavor to it that is just delicious, and expressed as a true poet (silver rains, sunflower’s shaded velvet eye, etc.). Love it, Sara!
I so agree on all counts and especially the, “may,” it has the same effect on me!! Beautiful!
Thanks so much, Marie. It’s good to see your eye looking out again.
Aww, thanks!
This is beauty I can literally see. how delightful…
Thanks so much, Nurit!
with silver rains, with butterflies,
a sunflower’s shaded velvet eye… love, love, love… alright, envy.
Never. With your stunning poetry? I’ll accept love, love, love!
Oh Sara – I second Marie Elena’s “I Wish I’d Written This” sentiment! So many vivid and excellent images…my favourite, I think has to be, “a sunflower’s shaded velvet eye” …I don’t think I’ll ever see another one without expecting to see it wink…You write in a positive vein without ever slipping over into schmaltz. I so envy that.Nicely done, as always.
Thank you, Sharon. I must tell you that I was so taken with your poem about art, that I showed it to a friend who loves painting. She hung the poem on her wall.
Sara, this consent to gentle beauty makes dying in it a welcome resignation. Lived your poem.
“Loved” it too. 🙂
That is a beautiful compliment, Damon. Thanks so much!
this has perfect meter until the very last line. That it somehow fitting for a line that speaks of goodbye.
Good point, Linda.
Thanks, Linda. I appreciate your input.
You make rhyme look so easy, Sara, as well it may be for you. This is marvelous with its soft voice and easy manner. It flows like a gentle summer day.
Thank you so much for your kind words. Actually, I do not usually rhyme. I find it more difficult than free verse.
We’re together on that then, Sara. I can do rhyme only when I don’t think about what I’m doing and just let words pop out. Trying to do it is like using hot razors on my nerves. Yuck! I just keep trying to train myself not to feel the pain too much. 🙂
Okay…here’s a quick one that may (in light of all the fine, Dickinson-worthy thoughtful verse above) get me kicked off the site. Just a little morbidity with my kid-lit gene acting up tonight.
———
Skin Deep
If beauty crowds me till I die,
I hope the worms enjoy it,
a feast of rotting handsomeness
with fresh green mold upon it.
I’m sure they’ll mind their p’s and q’s
from toes to hips to head
at such a fine good looking meal,
a beauty-laden spread.
I know what you are thinking.
This likely will not be.
The chance that I die beautiful?
Impossibility.
The beauty all around me?
Yes, there is much of that,
but it can’t penetrate the skin
where ugly hangs it’s hat.
© 2014, Damon Dean
Ah, this is fun. It’s as if Emily Dickinson met Richard Wilbur.
a wonderful wag of a poem, Damon.
Oh.
My.
Word.
Speaking of “wish I’d written that!” So much fun, quirky humor going on here in a flawless flow of clever phrase and form! If I wouldn’t feel so silly doing it, I’d be jumping up and down and clapping my hands like a little kid!!
MEG, I think guests hosts are allowed to do that, esp veteran hosts at least…but you must post the video on Youtube.
Hahaha!
Yeah, like THAT’s gonna happen. 😉
I think Miss Em had more of a sense of humour than many give her credit for…my money’s on her thinking your poem’s hilarious. As do I.
kicked off the site for this? Absolutely not. I am sure everyone will enjoy it as much as I did. And Walt has a great sense of humor. Now, what Emily thinks? That’s another story. 😉
Maybe she’d laugh, maybe not.
This is hysterical, Damon. That last line is a killer!
Kiddy lit, indeed, Damon. I can see this as a picture book with a rhino or dino as the the main character. But political correctness would deem it inappropriate. 🙂 Loved this. It’s great for MG. Glad you did it.
Now Claudsy…that’s an idea…hmmm.. Kidlit world needs a little bit edgier look at extinction. 🙂
Just saying. I know very few tween boys who wouldn’t be repeating this one, if only to gross out the girls nearby. 🙂
Hi, Marie. Good to have you back for a bit!
Catch ‘em While They’re Young
‘Beauty crowds me til I die’
says Emily, alone, depressed,
but ugliness can’t satisfy
our human need for gorgeousness.
Don’t paint the kindergarten red
or orange, brightest purple, green,
lest children, dazzled, are misled
to bounce off walls, collide, careen.
Don’t overstimulate their eyes
and hope their minds will stay serene.
Rainbows fade into distant skies,
a measured dose of lovely scene.
Steep kids in squalor’s muddy grays
and color them inside the lines
until they think in murky ways
and never question wonder’s signs.
Imagination takes to light—
a flower’s scent, a helping hand,
an apple pie, bright birds in flight
are beauties children understand.
We seem to fear from babyhood
that too much beauty overawes;
we crowd out joy and smother good
and grow up keen on finding flaws.
And Emily in love with all
her garden and her heart can bear
knows love expands us though we fall,
and beauty saves us from despair.
Jane, Jane, Jane … oh how I wish I could write like this. I can write this imaginatively and outside-the-box in bursts of short poetry, but cannot sustain it as you do for many-a-stanza, not waning in quality of thought and rhythmic perfection. WOW.
“Steep kids in squalor’s muddy grays
and color them inside the lines
until they think in murky ways
and never question wonder’s signs.”
This should be a banner. AMEN and AMEN. Isn’t it such a shame that people actually live this out? Perhaps unaware, but sadly live it out nevertheless.
ditto to everything Marie said.
Your poems are so well written, Jane, I am in awe… And I so agree:
… love expands us though we fall,
and beauty saves us from despair.
Emily was a complicated person, perhaps a conflicted one, according to9 what little I’ve read of her life. Your poem delves into complexity and emerges with beauty, or so it seems to me, and thus feels right for both the prompt and its inspiration. Aside from that, the elegance of the writing is astounding yet satisfying. Just wonderful.
A lovelu summing up of Emily & her work – especially your last stanza – beautiful!
Yes, yes, yes. Add my voice to the chorus of admirers Jane. This should be an anthem for kids…it’s so beautifully written and the message one that is so needed. Nicely done, as always.
Jane, what wise caution, a desperately needed warning to us all to let beauty do its work in our children, and in us. This plea could not have been worded better.
wow, Jane. Please forgive for not stating this more poetically but…this poem totally rocks!!!!
Also, I love these lines (which are, unfortunately, too true for many):
We seem to fear from babyhood
that too much beauty overawes;
we crowd out joy and smother good
and grow up keen on finding flaws.
I keep re-reading that fourth stanza. Amazing!
Oh, Jane, this is simply spectacular. You have graced us with something amazing, not just in its form or flowing words that trip off the tongue like water, but with images of meaning that aren’t seen often anywhere.
[…] Creative Bloomings. Guest host Marie Elena Good gave us the quote to get us going. […]
[…] revised for Poetic Bloomings […]
Off The Path Into Dusty Clouds
“Beauty fills me ‘till I die” – Emily Dickinson
Beauty fills me ’till I die, when fresh
Spring has left its kiss on departure;
A flowing green brighter than sunlight.
Yes, that’s it, I’m quite sure – on that day
The forest was more green than bright,
And there was this ancient scent, a musky
Luring nudge for nature and nurture.
I stepped off the footpath, dusty clouds
Drawn into the dry June air, birds louder
Than distracted thoughts, and that green
Pulled me deeper and darker, swallowed
Into its beauty. And when I take my leave
Of this world, this green is where I’ll go.
.
~
(c) Misky 2014 Photo accompanies this poem which was taken in Kongemindevejen, Bornholm, Denmark last week while on holiday. The photo is at http://miskmask.wordpress.com/2014/06/23/off-the-path-into-dusty-clouds/
Misk, this is amazing. There are so many layers to this beautiful, thought-provoking piece. It carries with it a somber and reflecting mood, yet its natural beauty and hope is an unmistakable presence. I see reflections of yourself, creation, life and death and life reborn, and even of Adam and Eve here. Perhaps that wasn’t your intention, or perhaps it was … but no matter, it’s there for me and I’m about to enjoy a third read through it to see what else I find.
Bornholm, the place where I just spent two weeks is an extraordinary island, and it left me feeling quite refreshed yet humbled. I’m glad that you enjoyed reading this one, Marie. Thank you.
This poem has layers, as Marie says; that’s what struck me too. That, and the green. It so happens that green is my favorite color, and this poem is a veritable paean to it. Wonderful.
Misky, this moment was lovely. I am particularly fond of those “birds / louder than distracted thoughts” which seem to be a perfect description of beauty’s sacred duty.
nice, Misky
I like the alliteration of “a musky luring nudge for nature and nuture”
and love the last stanza. Perfect ending lines.
Marvelous, Misky. I was walking with you through this scene, my friend. Such a gentle massage of the spirit.
beauty crowds me
till
I die
what happens
then
who knows
not
I
Hi Barbara! *wave wave wave* Love this simple-yet-effective little piece. This can be as surface-y or as deep as we wish to take it. Nice!!
grins
hola, M.E.
This is wry fun. Love it.
yeppers, it is.
Love the brevity of this thought…well done.
simply stated and so true
Nor me, but I love this!
Well said, Barbara. We can but speculate.
[…] to prompt at Poetic Bloomings Credit for photo (c) C. Gunther at The Kitchens Garden All rights to the photograph remain with […]
“Beauty crowds me till I die”
“And never stops – at all – “
~ Emily Dickinson
The flowers I planted
in my small hand-made
garden of Eden
crowd me with the beauty
of their short-lived
alluring colors.
And the butterflies
stalking sweetness
dance happily around
to the end of their day −
marking my brief summer
with fairy-tale magic.
Can you, summer beauties,
teach me, greedy human,
to find bliss, in spite,
then go gentle into the night −
as if a one and only season
is good enough?
Or, can you show me
the way to a real Eden,
that can be found when lost −
a never-never-land
of beauty-filled forevers,
with no endings or untills?
Or, can you crowd my soul
with lasting visions
of undying splendors,
all set to soar high
when this beauty dies −
perching like birds of hope
that never stop at all?
This impresses me deeply. I like the way you’ve used Dickinson’s words to bookend it, so to speak, and the evolution of your musings is so fitting, given the possibilities that lie in even one flower or butterfly or bird. This poem ahs me thinking. Marvellous.
Oh, absolutely! This feels like a lovely walk. Nurit, your beauty goes on forever … no endings or untils.
Thank you so very much, Marie! I hold on to hope for dear life…
I can relate. And there is ALWAYS hope.
Warm smiles to you, Nurit.
Thank you very much, William! It is just that “beauty crowds me” feels so blissful, but “till I die” seems like a fall from grace, so I tried to get some help from Emily herself (and others) to find ways around it…
butterflies stalking sweetness… I love that image and the thought that we stalk beauty’s sweetness.
Thanks, Debi. I acknowledge stalking beauty – and I am becoming better at it…
Nurit, I am taken with your work, not having seen it often. I can identify so well with your dialogue with colorful joyful garden visitors who probably know more of drinking in beauty than I ever will fathom.
Thank you very much, Damon. I actually posted on this site for the first time last week, and I post sporadically because I am a slow and tedious writer − my poems take time and hard labor to be born. Also, my days entail an ongoing effort to find balance, and quoting your poem: “The world is overwhelmed…”
Ooo…I also love the way you closed this poem and I really love the butterfly speak…learning from them how to enjoy this beauty of such a short season. Gorgeous writing, indeed.
Thank you very much, Hannah. Still learning (and the butterflies are such good teachers…)
Wonderful, Nurit. Great questions, all. And ones we may all ask ourselves from time to time. Love this gentle approach with all its many corners.
The Beauty of the Inevitable
Beauty fills me ’till I die,
For I am the eternal start
Of the inevitable end.
I am that hint, that start of heat
At sunrise when plum red skies
Rise in scalded hushes. I am kissed
Sighs of wind dipped in sheaths
Of grain, and I dance on slightest
Caress to green. See my leaves high
With pollen dust. I am the first rattle
Of thunder that shakes feet to running,
And darkens clouds with sodden weight.
I am the first raindrop on dusty ground,
A hint of torrents, floods of squelching.
I’m a road too long, too straight, mistaken
As white light departure; that white house,
Distant and filling your eye with godliness.
I am a white spot on complete black …
Endless. And I’m filled, as I inevitably drain.
.
And beauty fills me ’till I die. – Emily Dickinson
.
There’s a photo that goes with this poem at http://miskmask.wordpress.com/2014/06/23/the-beauty-of-the-inevitable/
I’m glad you mentioned the photo link. The picture is a masterful blend of simplicity and possibility, which can go in any direction the mind takes it. Your poem does the same, in my view; it has an awe-inspiring quality that leaves me a bit breathless. Thanks for posting.
Not one, but two poems of endless, classic beauty and unsurpassed quality. Misk, you are AMAZING. All the time, AMAZING.
At sunrise when plum red skies
Rise in scalded hushes… that one line is stunning and that it is just one of many makes this poem outstanding.
Oh Misk…as always your poetry astounds; your poem just sings verdant (as does the photo…how glorious)…
Misky, this one seems to “fill” completely the line that was our prompt. Inevitability seems, to me, the soul of Dickinson’s thought and you have poetically defined it so completely, especially in that final line.
That is one heart-stopping photo, Misk. Everyone should see this photo, and the way it infuses the poem.
Absolutely beautiful, Misky. You took us through an entire summer in one poem. Clever you and did it as the beauty itself.
Thanks, Claudsy! Glad you liked it.
You’re welcome, Misky.
[…] Posted for 100 Days of Summer 2014 (Facebook Group): 9 ~ Red. Also posted for Creative Bloomings Prompt #160: Emily Dickinson. […]
Hey, folks! Love the new title of the blog. Walt, I can see you still have your “wing girl” no matter what, ha ha. Not going to attempt the prompt, but I did want to stop by after seeing Misky’s gorgeous poem above. Walt, yours was irreverent and fun – always nice to have a bit of the sardonic when dealing with the Belle – and Marie, that second line, an oldie in iambic pentameter, well, that was an inspired choice of wording. I’m working on a triptych about my late brother-in-law, so can’t take on a prompt, but it’s so nice to be here, check in, see the new look. And like I said, it’s all on Misky’s wonderful work! Love you all madly, Amy
AMES!!!! ❤ !
Yes, MIsk is just CRAZY talented. There are a few "regulars" that wow me with each line, each phrase, every cotton-pickin' time they post. 😉 She is one.
Thanks, Marie, and thank you everyone for your supportive comments. 🙂
You’re a constant source of encouragement and support, Amy. Thanks! xx
Good to see you, Amy. Hope all is well with you and that you get to come and play again soon. 🙂
GOOD COP
Beauty crowds me till I die;
it does so to police
each terror that befouls my eye
so I might rest in peace.
copyright 2014, William Preston
Good to be madly loved by you! Happy to see you around! Thanks Ames.
Aww! What a thought!
Again the dear duty of beauty is made clear. Perfect, William.
Wonderful take on the prompt, William. I never would have thought of beauty in that role, but it’s true.
Truth Freed
Beauty crowds me ‘til I die—
then Crowds me in the Grave,
stilling pressing me for Compliments,
still making Truth her slave.
I ask her, Isn’t it enough
you’ve buried me in Dirt?
But she just simpers–worried how
her ass Looks in that skirt,
Always concerned that she will Fade
while I become a Torch—
she serenades—I merely speak—
she Poses—while I Search.
Some people Talk as if we’re twins—
or synonyms—poetic Cant!
If Death has taught me anything,
it’s Tell your truth—but tell it Slant.
(I fooled around with a few other Dickinson thoughts in Tell the Truth but Tell it Slant, I Died for Beauty, and Because I Could Not Stop for Death)
Brava! Emily probably didn’t know Spanish, but somewhere—perhaps buried with Beauty—-she’s saying the same.
Oh my word, how DO you do it?! Jane, Jane, Jane… See my response to Amy above about Misk and other regulars. You are counted in that group … way toward the top.
Jane, I get tired and tongue-tied trying to come up with superlatives worthy of your work and other’s of your ilk here at CB. Everything I want to say sounds trite. So, can I just say I enjoyed this?
Masterful reply to the prompt as always…Jane your verse is amazing. This gathering of our poet’s views encompasses her layers of thin respect, with a hint of cynicsism, and a trace of morose self confidence.
oops, that should be “still pressing” in line 3. Sorry
You’ve done far more with this than I could have, for certain, Jane. It’s terrific and follows the needs of all sources. That’s talent. Thanks so much for showing us how it’s done and giving us an example of mastery.
HER SIN
Beauty, she
crowds incessantly.
making me
breathe less free,
for her perfume stinks, you see.
I wish she would flee.
copyright 2914, William Preston
Oh, bother! I can’t post this for 900 years.
: ) those darn typos
Teeheehee! I can already “see” it will be worth the wait. 😉
(Cue Jeopardy music)
🙂
chuckling!
Or gives allergies a fit? Is that what you’re saying here, William. She does all of that, too. Just ask my sinuses. Good little reality check in this one. Love it.
(Poem w/image: http://lettheballoonssailmeaway.wordpress.com)
Kindness, Exclusively
Beauty crowds me ’til I die
A face, his eyes a kindness I
cannot forget, no doubts have I
That Knows this kind of feeling lasts
Far longer than our moments pass.
Hen, love this endearing take on enduring beauty.
So do I. Thanks.
Thank you, William.
Thank you, Damon… I do believe my heart will forever remember… ❤ !!
(Stern mommy voice) HENRIETTA place middle name here CHOPLIN!! You have a BLOG and didn’t tell me?!!
😀 ! I’m signing up quick as a wink! And this poem? This poem is pureness and love and longing and understanding and gratefulness and the best of love all in a few simply penned lines. Be still my heart.
Hugs to you and congratulations on your blog!
Aww, Meg… I kinda, sorta announced it, and Walt commented and helped me out, as did others <3! I am so happy you will be reading it!! Thank you for your beautiful comment!! Hugs, Hen ❤ 🙂 !!
See what I get for not living here anymore?!! 😦
Yes, my dear, you Need to Move Back Home 🙂 !!
Awww! ❤
🙂 !!
So very true, Hen. I think we all have those kinds of moments that keep crowding us at times. Good one here.
Clauds, thank you, so much!!
You’re welcome, Hen.
🙂 !!
WONDER WORLD
Daybreak falls upon a field.
Nature wakes to rise and shine.
Sunlight births a garden’s yield.
Beauty crowds these eyes of mine.
Shadows waltz on moonlit paths.
Diamonds blaze a midnight sky.
Silence quells the earthly wraths.
Beauty crowds me ‘til I die.
© Susan Schoeffield
Susan, this fills me with a pastoral peace. Lovely.
Thank you so much!
Oboyoboy…. this is superb.
William, thank you for this comment!
Susan, this is another that seems fitting of living on forever on the lips of those who read it. WOW.
Marie, it’s good to see you here, if only for a passing moment. I deeply appreciate your kind words!
How kind you are. Thank you!
‘shadows waltz on moonlit paths’ – just perfect!
A great compliment, Sara! Thank you for it!!
Marvelous, Susan. I like how you’ve used the line as a final statement. It funnels all of the previous lines to a single point of sentiment. Lovely.
[…] for the 6/22/14 prompt at Creative Bloomings to write a poem using this first line of a piece by Emily Dickenson: “Beauty crowds me ‘til I […]
My computer went down about the time I found Sunday’s prompt. Sorry for not reading/responding to the individual answers (this looks like a lively discussion!). I was able to write a poem by hand.
PRICE OF BEAUTY
Beauty crowds me till I die
Sucking my breath with
Pollen-swollen floss
Sloughing off my skin in
Pursuit of summer sun
Cacophony of judgment
Stills the voice of my drum
Until a single word cracks
The dam, releasing fear
The pursuit of beauty squashes me,
Flattening, crushing, draining me
Till I die inside, leaving
Only a brittle outer shell
Darlene Franklin ©2014
Oh, how inflated the price of a veneer of beauty. Liked this Darlene.
Thanks. We (our culture) worry too much about the externals
Yes. Yes, indeed. And I like how you word this, Damen.
Darlene, there is much wisdom in your well-strung words. Thank you for this.
Thank you, Marie. I look forward to getting to know you better (being such a newcomer myself, you are a legend in these parts)
A legend! Oh my! 😀 You are too kind, Darlene!
Wow, this went in a much different direction than most here. It makes perfect sense, though, given the word, “crowds.” Most impressive.
William, I wish I could have written a trinity of poems, about beauty, crowds, and death. But this one came out first. 🙂 Thanks.
This is a unique take on beauty, Darlene, at least for this prompt. But for so many, this is also a daily reality that’s been taken to extremes in our world. We keep trying to quantify the quality of beauty, removing degrees of loveliness until the ultimate degree is the only one that matters or is recognized. Sad, we are, to have reduced the world to this state.
Your poem brings that truth out into the light, to show the inner damage done to the person. Very well written, Darlene.
I made the mistake of reading the poems that are posted before writing mine. And guess what! I won’t be writing one now. Not only am I too busy this week but OMG! OMG! These poems are awesome. All I have to say is: thank goodness I am not guest host. Poor Marie Elena and Walt.
Yes, I was thinking the same.
I just went looking for your poem, Linda…thank you for your comment and I hope you have a great week…I agree with you, there’re a lot of really amazing poems out here!! :)’s
*sigh*
Yes. Using the terms “awesome” or “amazing” or “incredible” to describe the works of the talented poets out here seems trite, doesn’t it? I don’t even know what words to use anymore. My heart is full, and I feel like it will be nearly impossible to choose a Bloom from among you all.
You’ve hit on the major flaw with this beautiful prompt, Linda.
Okay. These fine offerings have seriousized my mood. Here’s a second attempt.
—–
The Gifted or the Dead?
Who does beauty crowd until they die?
And how? And why?
Do some have special cones inside the eye
that trip synapses when a sunset flares?
Is beauty in the eye, the cell, the molecules of those who see it?
Or when a mother nurses do the glares
of others screaming “private” grind against
the heart of those with gifted arteries that feel instead
in life the beat of art?
Is there, perhaps imprisoned,
in my brain
a beauty politic?
Can my verse, or yours penned so well, free it?
Aromas pungent, tensile coarseness,
black crow’s raucous grating song…
how can the beauty in these things be wrong?
Must we all die, our elements unbound
to see what’s lovely?
Ah, my answer’s found. I see.
Beauty crowds.
The world is overwhelmed,
and much I will not, cannot see
until I die.
And then,
I hope, I pray,
there and then
I’ll have a better eye.
© Damon Dean, 2014
Wow, marvelously “seriousized.” (I’m gonna remember that word, even if it isn’t.)
I love your questions, and – following Rilke’s advice – I try to live the questions and be patient toward all that is unresolved … But I fully agree with your answer and with your hope=prayer. So well put…
Oh, Damon … this is just so full. So very full. It seems silly to point this out, among all the food for thought expressed here, but: I love how your questions and observations are penned in long, thoughtful string, followed by the clipped-and-to-the-point realizations. WOW.
Wow. Much beauty in this Damon.
Fantastic, Damon. Serious, indeed. You and Darlene should collaborate on this theme. I think you’ve both got it covered very well with cogent questions and inner truths. Terrific.
Linda, that’s why I posted mine before looking. Too scary. 🙂 A wide variety of poems, well stated
I never look any more before I post. I’d never post if I did. 🙂
I usually don’t read anything other than the prompt before I write mine. But this prompt is so cool I took a peek. Well, never again will I do that! Ended up totally blocked and feeling unworthy. These poems are great. Jane’s and quite a few others stand out. I’d have to give at leat 10 Blooms this week if I were taking part as a guest host. Really loving the work this week.
Comparison
“Beauty crowds me ‘til I die” ~ Emily Dickinson
No comparison can be made
of you: your beauty will not fade.
A gem? A rose? Versaille?
A tapestry of rich brocade?
No. None of these will quite persuade
me…ever, ‘til I die.
###
Hi Marie! (Waves wildly.) 😀
*wave wave wave* 😀 !!
RJ, I love where you’ve taken this prompt. “Comparison.” Yes … that word can be a curse, can’t it? But here it is the blessing of your subject. EXCELLENT.
RJ, I loved the undistracted focus in this take on the prompt. The brevity of the poem reinforces the writer’s focus on the subject of her admiration.
Lovely sentiments, RJ. I think we each have at least one person in our lives that feel that way about us. Whether the sentiments is ever spoken aloud is another issue. But person, place or thing–all with purpose, all with unique beauty. Well done.
Beauty Crowds me Till I Die
And glad I am that such is so
for ugly walks bold world-wide
Bloodying the sky, colouring snow
war-black, leaving me grey inside
Yes, beauty crowds me till I die
It makes life bearable it does
able to fight against the wide abyss
to learn the way to live with cause
occasionally in joy and bliss
So, beauty crowd me till I die
Remind me of the star-pricked sky
the one that tents above us all
There’s so much more to do than die
and my back’s not yet against the wall.
Sharon! This is outstanding, but I especially am greatly impressed with:
“for ugly walks bold world-wide
Bloodying the sky, colouring snow
war-black, leaving me grey inside”
The flawless cadence and creative wording only a true poet could conjure leaves me in awe. WOW!
Aww…thank you Marie Elena…those lines fell out like that, the way some do, and I like the too…
Sharon, I agree. The cadence seems to reflect a breathing determination, a solid and defiant march against the ugliness that threatens to blind us.
And Damon, thank you also…your very eloquent piece further up above expresses beautifully (if I may put it like that) just how important it is that the beauty crowds us…I like how you put the question in every line and leave it more or less up to the reader to answer whether it will be “till I die” or sooner…a great take on vying with the world’s ugliness. I see we were somewhat on the same page. Thanks for taking the time read and comment.
Love this, Sharon. A reason given to always see the beauty, for it can so easily disappear in a sea of distraction and constant assaults on the senses. Wonderful.
Expressive and thoughtful piece Sharon
Dying to Be Beautiful
“Beauty crowds me till I die.” Emily Dickinson
Glamour and Vogue
Paper her bathroom,
Airbrushed perfection
Preserved on glossy paper.
The running tap
Drowns the sound
Of her dinner swirling
In the porcelain bowl.
A freak show mirror
Hides the promise
Sixteen should hold,
Only reflecting
Acid-rotted teeth
Behind pallid lips,
Long-dead hollow eyes,
A 76 pound skeleton
Wrapped in obese paranoia,
Dying to be beautiful.
Wow, quite profound in depth, meaning and unfortunate reality. Very touching. Good to see you Mary 🙂
Benjamin
Yes, Mary – you’ve captured the “dying to be beautiful” industry spot on…wonderfully penned.
MARY! So good to see your words again. This is quite profound, and perfectly penned. So sad, the reality of which you write, isn’t it?
Ah, Mary, you’ve tackled our vanity and skewed reality of beauty. The ugliest side of all when it comes to the subject. Your portrayal is a wake-up call for many, and not just teens. How can any accept the beauty of themselves when such ideals are made mandatory. Excellent work here.
Aw, thanks so much everybody 🙂 I don’t venture online very often these days but just had to jump in on this prompt. The lengths some will go to chasing some pop culture ideal of beauty just breaks my heart, especially with a teenage girl in the house.
[…] Written for Creative Bloomings, beginning with Emily Dickinson’s line “Beauty crowds me till I […]
Blue
My heart bursts its banks, spilling beauty and goodness. I pour it out in a poem to the king, shaping the river into words…
-Psalm 45:1
Beauty crowds me
till I die, heart broken
open, splayed loose into
indigo mirror. Breath
held, I praise the One
who made the color,
the water, the sky, my
atrium, ventricle, bold
and bruised, be
-mused by all this
grace. Face lifted to
inky ceiling, splattered
stars, I sing in words
unsaid, scratch them
into sand with trembled
hand and lift my now
-crowned head to see
that You are reading,
knowing me.
.
Hmmmm…this is special De. Very prolific, touching even. And I absolutely love the verse! 😉
Oh De…as always, your work just sings…so much to love here…especially like “Face lifted to inky ceiling, splattered stars, I sing in words unsaid”
*sigh* and Selah …
De, this is supreme in its flow and form. A graceful song and prayer. Thank you so much for sharing it.
Ah the PILLARS of the garden, Walt and Marie!!!!! 🙂 Smiles for miles……..
You guys are all caps AWESOME. Honorable poems as usual. And a big HELLO MARIE!!! As they say in Spanish, Que paso, que no te veo? (Long time no see).
Benjamin
BENJAMIN!! I WAS SEARCHING FOR YOU OUT HERE!! 😀
MAGNIFICENT THRONG
“Beauty crowds me til I die”
Emily Dickinson
Shall beauty crowd the shames of wretched thorn? That bear my name, etched and wrought? How magnificent the thrusting throng, well donned, worn and wrought. Upon prickly, injurious spines, that ever find it’s way to vex hearts. Yet, “beauty crowds me ’til I die”.
© Copyright 2014
Benjamin Thomas
Ohmigosh … this is absolutely stunning. “Poetic” in the truest sense of the word. WOW….
🙂
Wonderful, Ben. It reads differently than the usual verse, but that, I think, is its power. Love it.
Thx Claudsy!!
You’re welcome, Ben.
LET HER FOLLOW ME
“Beauty crowds me til I die”
Emily Dickinson
There is a crowning beauty that crowds me; conceals in ambulant glory. It shields me on a day of rain,
and from the uprising countenance of Sun.
It presses vigorously upon old wounds; impressing it’s new name, causing me to wield new joys, and liberates ten loads of shame.
There is an excelling beauty that crowds me; that leaves me breathless, yet fills with a buoyant hope, until every cloud covets the ascent to freedom.
Let her beauty crowd me until I die;
Resisting the slow dissipation, reject her every wish to flee, and object every temptation.
Let her follow me when I rise again,
then crowd me in resurrection, with exemplary beauty in that day, basking in myriads of satisfaction.
© Copyright 2014
Benjamin Thomas
… and again, a poetic offering. Benjamin, your words are so gorgeous.
“Let her follow me when I rise again,
then crowd me in resurrection, with exemplary beauty in that day, basking in myriads of satisfaction.” AMEN, and AMEN.
Another lovely example your talent, Ben. The rhythm and flow of your words make reading them such a joy and honor. Very well done, my friend.
Triple thanks friend! 🙂
🙂
Beauty Observed
“Beauty crowds me till I die” ~ Emily Dickinson
Beauty crowds me till I die,
but often goes unnoticed,
like the girl next door
unexpectedly blossoms
into a lovely woman.
Hopefully we’ll wake up
to the beauty all around
and not pass it by.