Wednesday, March 10, 2010

night and shadow

Fiberglass and resin sculpture
"He is the Night" by Gwen Creighton Lux


there is a place
where
night does not fall
but breaks
slowly
like day
but splinters
slowly

inside me

because i am river
faceless but flowing
because i am sky
invisible but living

because i am mote
in the eyes of
secret stars
because i am scream
in the throats of
frozen lies

because
and
because
and
because

i am

i am legend
in the hearts of
broken heroes
i am tale
in the mouths of
sacred stones

up the stairs
and
left down the corridor
there is a place
a room
where
i wait for you
white robes
on crimson flesh
i wait for you
jagged metal
in tender wound

i wait
i watch
through inverted windows
of angled eyes

i wait
i know
the night will not fall
nor will the damned 
meet the crucified
at the crossroads
of hell and purgatory

i wait
i know
you will not come

i have given breath
to your shadow
and in so doing
i have lost mine

40 comments:

Martin said...

There are some lovely lines in this extraordinary poem, Nevine.

"..because i am river
faceless but flowing
because i am sky
invisible but living.." is superb.

GYPSYWOMAN said...

OMG nevine! this is just pure raw power and beauty! magnificent! beyond my own little paltry vocabulary! and up there in my top three faves of yours, although all of yours are truly my favorites - your work moves me in ways not mysterious, as you know! i LOVE this piece!

oh, and interesting that you speak of hell purgatory and crucifixion as i just begged to be forgiven my trespasses in my little ditty yesterday! ;)

Eva said...

You write things that leave me at a loss for words. The feeling of this one reminds me of something I am battling inside right now. To be someone's breath, only to lose our own.

Anonymous said...

the imagery once again dances off the page....I am in awe of you my friend.Truly!

Unknown said...

'I wait, I know you will not come'
heart-rending, touching, & with so much of emotion.
poetic, lovely, ' I am in awe of you, my friend. Truly!'
adds to the beauty and pathos of the poem.
Thanks for sharing...

Owen said...

Some Shadows

Some shadows dance alone
They dance when you are gone
They dance when no one’s looking
They dance until the dawn
Some shadows are just lonely
Some of them are sad
Some shadows can be seen through
Others are too black
Some shadows dance in mourning
Some shadows dance for joy
Some dance in celebration
Some dance to destroy
Some dance for pure elation
Some shadows turn to stone
Some shadows mend your aching heart
Some shadows dance alone

Tamarind~ said...

O My God.. this is so profound! It runs deep and haunts me..!

Jai Joshi said...

This is powerful, Nevine. I loved "i am tale/in the mouths of/sacred stones". Lovely imagery.

I did feel that the first stanza was missing a last line. I think the rhythm needs another line there.

Jai

Laura~Pretty Pix said...

Beautiful ♥

Unknown said...

The last 4 lines says it all.
Lovely piece once again..:)
The thoughts are so touching.
Kudos to u Nevine.

Cheers

Nuts

bard said...

Your talent and passion leave me speechless.

Shadow said...

nevine, you are simply the best. how you express yourself. enviable...

Woman in a Window said...

something i have to acknowledge in your writing that i haven't yet, is your stamina. not only prolific, but you write with direction and not always, perhaps not even often, short pieces. i wonder if you know where you are going when you begin. i wonder if this, writing, is your life's blood. i think it must be.

the piece - i enjoyed the fracture of it. by the end of it i felt quite naked.

xo
erin

Sahildeki Ev said...

Its beautiful. I am speechless...

Nevine Sultan said...

Martin – Coming from such a fine wordsmith, your words leave me speechless and smiling. Thank you.

Jenean – Paltry vocabulary? Woman! What in this world are you talking about. You weave some webs, Jenean! And is it a coincidence we think on the same horizons? At all? ;-)

Eva – It is a most disturbing sensation to feel a loss of Self after giving…

Steven – Thank you so much!

Smita – “… beauty and pathos…” Wow! Thank you.

Owen – Your words… What can I say? You know the world of shadows. And that’s all. Thank you for this lovely piece of you.

Tamarind – I know it sounds crazy, but I do love to haunt my readers. So I’m thrilled that you’re haunted. Thank you for the visit and the sweet words.

Jai – I know what you mean about the first stanza. I sort of broke off the last line and left it hanging in a space by itself. Don’t know if it lost its entire rhythm, there. There was meant to be a pause… Thanks for the insight!

Laura – Thank you, and welcome!

Nipun – You’re so sweet, you make me smile. Thank you.

Bard – I’m speechless at your words, because you, too, are so very talented!

Shadow – Thank you, but the best? I don’t know about that, Shadow… ;-)

Erin – Short pieces are a bit of a challenge for me, I have to admit. I do tend to ramble, but sometimes I can’t get as much thought as I want to into a few words. I envy people who are able to manage that with their writing. Most of the time, I don’t know where I’m going, actually. I just sit down to write because something is nagging at my brain, and it needs to be expressed. And I allow it to go where it wants to go. And yes, this is my life’s blood. I can’t even picture not writing. I would become a broken person. Erin, you can’t begin to imagine how your comment has touched me. You’ve understood where I’m coming from. But then, why should I be surprised? I know you come from a similar place. And your writing… well, it speaks for itself.

Turquoise – Thank you. I’m so happy you liked it. :-)

Caio Fern said...

i liked so much this poem , Nevine .
wonderful .
thank you .

Rick said...

Nev
so mush good stuff here. liked this especially
because i am mote in the eyes of secret stars because i am screamin the throats of frozen lies
we all wait there for something.
~rick

Anonymous said...

Oh hell. You get better with each post.

i have given breath
to your shadow
and in so doing
i have lost mine


I love this.

Please check out my new site, Dark Chaos, at www.darkchaos.ning.com

J

Betty Manousos said...

Nevine, I loved this poem.
Beautiful and profound! I love "because I'm a river"..and
I love the last lines, too.."I have given breath....
..I lost mine.." The absolute surrender to imaginary,to love, it makes me think how great it would be if we could have been consumed by someone we love.

Judith Mercado said...

Nevine, given my understanding of your [lack of] spiritual leanings, I find interesting your use on more than one occasion recently of religious/spiritual images in your poetry. You did it again in this poem:

"meet the crucified
at the crossroads
of hell and purgatory"

?
Judy

Madame DeFarge said...

Excellent again. I feel as though I repeat the same platitudes every time I comment, but sometimes simply saying excellent is all that I can muster.

Dulçe ♥ said...

Mi reina.... you've done it again as well as only YOU can... There is a non hope sadness and you picture her awaiting...yes in the night and shadow...where is the light? in the way tou describe the whole thing (thing... what a simple word...LOL)

This is a must... And you know I love iT!


Dulce

Nevine Sultan said...

Caio – And thank you so much! :-)

Rick – You’re so awesome. Thank you.

Wiredwriter – I’m completely flattered. And I will be by to check out your new site.

Betty – Yes yes yes! That’s what this is all about. Becoming consumed. Thank you for the sweet words, and for the understanding.

Judy – You ask “The Question”. You see, it’s funny because I thought about this question long and hard, myself. And, though the answer was right there in front of me all along, it took me years to figure it out. I use religious images frequently because I am fascinated by religion. I am not religious (and this you know) but I am spiritual, and I think that my strong spirituality and lack of religiousness both lead me to be fascinated by what I lack. I’ve always believed that the religious are too religious to be truly enthralled by what they believe in. Theirs is a love that is pure and sacred. My fascination is more of a lust, and transcends the practical. Sometimes, when we are missing something in our lives, we seek it with a more profound desire and appreciation. That’s not to say that the religious don’t appreciate their religion – on the contrary. It’s just a different form of appreciation, I think. And, religious imagery is so richly poetic, and sometimes it is the only type of imagery that suffices to say exactly what it is I’m trying to say. I mean, I could write a book about the concept of purgatory (Dante did and he probably just scratched the surface), but when I’m writing a poem and trying to evoke that place of existence, that state of being, the word “purgatory” is a fine replacement. I hope I made sense, Judy. If not, send me more questions. Your comments always make me think.

Mme. DeFarge – Well “excellent” is just about as good as it gets. So I really appreciate that. Thank you.

Dulce – You’re the Reina, Sweetest. Reina with a capital "R"! And someone is always waiting for someone, or something. And sometimes we don’t know what the hell we’re waiting for, yeah? We’re so messed up. ;-) Love you, girl. :-)

khulud khamis said...

been reading this and rereading and rereading... still trying to figure it out for myself... grasping at the meaning... (I'll get to it).
anyway, I've just picked up a book I bought about 5 years ago and never had a chance to read from cover to cover yet, but everytime I read a few pages. I thought you might like the book, it's called "Mind Readigns: Writers' Journeys Through Mental States".
hugs,
khulud

A Cuban In London said...

My latest post was strong beginnings in an album and yours carries one of those introductions that makes the hair on the back neck go up:

'there is a place
where
night does not fall
but breaks
slowly
like day
but splinters
slowly'

Funny, isn't it? After I finished reading your poem I felt as if I was being taken somewhere in the cloud with the final chords of The Edge's guitar in 'Where the Streets Have No Name' providing the soundtrack.

'i have given breath
to your shadow
and in so doing
i have lost mine'

Magical. And unbelievable.

Greetings from London.

Anonymous said...

Hey Nevine :) I saw you joined Chaos but then couldn't find you.

Nevine Sultan said...

Khulud - With poetry, I always believe that different words carry different meanings for each of us. This one just came out, one evening. And I figured out what it meant for me as I was writing it down. Funny, huh? To write something and not be sure what it means until you're physically writing it? Don't sweat it, Khulud. We don't always find meanings for ourselves in everything we read... And thank you for the book recommendation. I've never heard of it, but it sounds like it would be right up my alley. I'll check it out...

Cuban - Interesting experience... But I'm not surprised. It's amazing the power music has over us. It lingers in the head long after we think it has disappeared. And then we read something somewhere, and the words and the music lead us into a dance. Thank you for the always kind words, and for always making me feel like a million dollars!

Wiredwriter - I joined yesterday evening. Don't know what went wrong. I even left a comment! I'll be back to check it out...

laughingwolf said...

little we can do, but hope...

S. Susan Deborah said...

And
because
and
because
and
because

Reminds me of "tomorrow
and tomorrow and tomorrow" from MACBETH.

"i have given breath
to your shadow
and in so doing
i have lost mine"

These lines seem so very powerful and piercing. A thousand thoughts gushed in reading just these four lines. Still I could not fix any theme to the poem. I reread it about four times and all I can repeat is:

And
because
and
because
and
because

Nevine, whatever, you are a wordsmith without doubt and words actually dance and bow down when you wield your thoughts.

Lovely weekend dear Nevine.

Joy always,
Susan

Craftsman of light said...

i m soaking in its darkness, i love this darkness....the darkness in this place where the night does'nt fall.

Comme ça
je peux griffer le ciel pour avoir un peu de lumiere.... la meme façon que tu griffe la peau de tes mots....tes phrases saignent en petals de coquelicots.

i walk on my downfall to rise in your resurections.
So much is being given in a breath, i m not going to pull out any of your words because everything in evry word you say haunts me....
You are haunting, like a Houri...
i bow to you as i d bow for your fingers to tear open my soul to place the banquet of your verbs and nouns, their dancing forest and sunlight!

Col

Nevine Sultan said...

LW - Aha! There's a thought!!!

Susan - I wish I could explain to you what this piece means to me, but I feel like I would be spoiling it. I think that poetry should be interpreted for what it is by the reader. Poetry is such a surreal form of writing, I don't dare try to tell you what this or that piece should mean to you or any other reader. And, like I told Khulud, sometimes we don't find meaning in everything we read. Sometimes words and meanings resonate and sometimes they don't. It just all depends on who we are, where we've been, what we've experienced, and how we perceive. Thank you for the compliment, Susan, and I do hope you don't feel disappointed you couldn't find a theme... :-) And hey, one other thing never to forget: In Nevine's head there is more chaos than order... just sayin'! ;-)

COL - Oh my God! Do you ever stop writing poetry? Even in your comments... Your words are so beautifully rendered, and I'm the one who always feels like my soul is open and raw when I read what you write. You are so kind, and I'm happy there is sunlight for you in the middle of this darkness where night does not fall. Merci, mon amie. Tu es un tresor!

katieleigh said...

I have no idea what this is about, but I love it. The analogies are beautiful, the flow is gorgeous. You're a great writer...

S. Susan Deborah said...

Dear Nevine:

I find that the chaos in your head definitely has an order to it. Heard of 'ordered chaos?' Well, patterns of chaos enable you to find succinct words. Isn't it?

Well, I am not disappointed Nevine. If there is something I can do is take in the beauty of words and reread the piece. Sometimes in the process of trying to 'find' a theme, one loses the essence. I guess I have got the essence of the piece.

Its just quite engaging to dialogue with you like this.


Joy always,
Susan

Nevine Sultan said...

Katieleigh - I had no idea what it was about either, until I started to actually put the words to paper. Thank you for the visit and the kind words. Both are much appreciated.

Susan - I have heard of "ordered chaos", but sometimes I wonder if that order only makes sense to me. But you said it right - "Sometimes in the process of trying to 'find' a theme, one loses the essence." I've been there before, and I always feel frustrated because I don't "get it". But then I just allow the piece to sink into me. And sometimes, when I relax like that, I have a "moment". You know what I mean? And, I love to dialogue, too. It's one of the most fun parts of blogging. I get to "chat" with some of my favorite blogging friends. And that's just priceless! I hope you're enjoying your weekend, Susan. :-)

Cildemer said...

Coucou Nevine:)
Sorry for being a bit late! I hope nobody told you that your poem is very beautiful and mystical!
En fait il suffit de le dire en français, et là j'ai plus de chance d'être originale! Ou plutôt en portugais! J'aurais encore plus de chance, je crois!

O teu poema é muito lindo e místico e gostei muito de o ler;-)

***
Beijinhos e estrelas místicas e amigas*******

Nevine Sultan said...

Crémilde - There's no such thing as being "a bit late" or "too late". You can come any time you want. And thank you for the sweet comments in three languages. Tu es vraiment gentille, et j'ai compris même les commentaires en portugais. Je pense que je vais apprendre beaucoup à cause de notre amitié. ;-) I'm so happy you enjoyed reading this poem; it's always a pleasure to receive such sweet comments from friends like you. Je te souhaite un bon dimanche, mon amie! :-)

Anonymous said...

Nevine I tell you this simple truth and the best way I can express it from a broken hero in real life. You are remarkable, your words, your being and I can say this with no reservations. You my friend are truly wonderful

Nevine Sultan said...

Sir Thomas - YOU are wonderful! And thank you so much for making me smile from my heart. :-)

Catherine Vibert said...

Just so many amazing images in this poem, the words are like threads in a cloth of light and shadow. My dear Nevine, I just love your fingers and what they make.

Nevine Sultan said...

And Cat, I just love that you pump up my ego like that. You know I love it! ;-) Really, thank you. I'm happy you liked it.