Monday, April 19, 2010

Nature Laughs at Time-Pieces - Magpie Tales

                                Not for her, Man's silly watches, keeping
                                Manufactured time, turning eternal
                                Tracts of forever into infernal
                                Seconds and minutes bounded by beeping.
                                No, not for her, the minute hand creeping,
                                Alarm clocks ticking order external,
                                Making the rules for lives once diurnal 
                                Setting strict hours for waking and sleeping . . .
 
                                Her time is reckoned by the Great Bear's pace
                                Circling the lynch pin of the starry skies . . .
                                Hot summer's fecund growth . . . late swarming bees . . .
                                Slow fall of crisping leaves . . . bright ice's trace.
                                Her clocks are dandelions and brief May-flies
                                And cuckoos calling from the spring-green trees.

For more Magpie Tales, go HERE.

Posted by Picasa








34 comments:

Martin said...

Wonderful! And so very true.

Jinksy said...

Did enjoy this timely (!) piece...

chiccoreal said...

Love the "Lane-ian" verse; most inspiring! The reference to the constellation of the Great Bear, and Nature as "she" is amazing. I get the feeling of the fleetingness of it all. The composition is mezmerizing as my eyes go "back and forth, back and forth" like a pendulum. Very timely and expertly crafted! Excellent. Bravo and bravura!

Paul C said...

What a wonderful juxtaposition of man made and natural rhythms. So many delightful phrases like lynch pin of the starry skies....

Helen said...

This is so beautifully written I can almost smell and feel your words.

Vicki Lane said...

Thanks, folks -- I was pleased with the closing sestet but will continue to fiddle with the opening octet which isn't where I want it yet.

Brian Miller said...

smiles. what a simple life to tell time by the flowers and trees and stars...i imagine it a lot more peaceful place...nice magpie!

Catalyst said...

Yes, time - country style! Nice, Vicki.

Lyn said...

Beautiful and true..a mayfly a day..better than a watch!!

rel said...

Vicki,
Humans always trying to improve her and usually end up stepping in a wad of trouble.
rel

Kathryn Stripling Byer said...

Vicki, this has a Keatsian ring to it, I really, really like it and think you are turning into a poet. Like Daphne turning all green and leafy! Marvelous sound and imagery.
I keep hearing Ode to Autumn....those murmurings and drippings from the cider press. I can hardly wait for your September poem.

Vicki Lane said...

Thanks, Brian and Catalyst! Just now, with Spring and all, Man's time seems kind of petty to me. I'm lucky to lead a life that doesn't require a watch -- except once a week when I teach a class and have to make sure everyone gets their fair share of critique time!

Thanks, Lyn and Rel -- Douglas Adams had a good bit to say about evolving Man and digital watches and the fact that the whole thing may have gone badly wrong when first we crawled out of the sea.

I'm still something of a Victorian, I guess, Kay, in my approach to poetry -- I almost left off the first part of the poem because it was doing right but dag nab it, I wanted to write an Italian sonnet. Thanks for the kind words! Yes, I'm feeling a tad green and leafy these days...

Vicki Lane said...

Was NOT doing right, I meant to say.

Jingle said...

creative,
I admire your patience in making the tale so vivid, live, and enjoyable!

Diana (Diane) Maria said...

I enjoyed this. It is beautifully written. I like those words "turning eternal Tracts of forever..." Great!

joanna said...

Linking time to the Divine --- how sublime, my blog friend.

Joanny

Vagabonde said...

So lovely and creative. I enjoyed it.

Enchanted Oak said...

I love that "her clocks are dandelions."

Joan Tucker said...

she who tells the time and date and year by the seasons and is ruled by the moon and mother nature.. yes to all of that and no to clocks.

RNSANE said...

Reading this made me want to throw out my drawer full of watches - all ten of them.

Evalinn said...

Yes, that´s just wonderful!

Peter Goulding said...

Wonderful sonnet. Particularly liked the -ernal rhymes and as you say the six line ending is spot on.
To be honest, there's not much needs doing with the octet.
From someone who is also rooted in a more traditional approach to poetry, I salute you!

Chhaya said...

Not claiming to be any kind of an expert, but i felt a very earthy sense in poem. It smelled of the first rain... nature and its untamed boundaries so well portrayed by you.

:)

Tess Kincaid said...

I love this sonnet, Vicki. My friend, Edna St. Vincent Millay would be pleased!

Vicki Lane said...

Thanks, Jingle!

And thanks, Diana(Diane)-- I'm kind of proud of that line!

Thanks to Joanny, Vagabonde, and Enchanted Oak.

Yes, down with clocks, Joan and RNSANE!

Thank you, Evalinn!

Thanks for the kind words, Peter. Those -ernal rhymes almost did me in ...

Thanks, Chhaya!

And thanks, Willow, for inspiring this welter of creativity in the blogosphere!

Jennifer said...

Just gorgeous Vicki - (my favourite so far this week - don't tell anyone). It really speaks to me - we could all use a little lesson from mother nature on this one.

RNSANE said...

Wonderful magpie - now I see that you write mystery novels! As a forensic nurse, I love them...so I will have to check yours out. My dream has always been to write one but, at 65,, I'm not sure it's going to happen. I'm just elated that I'm about to get my first poetry book published!

steviewren said...

Nature keeps her own time doesn't she? I hate waking to an alarm clock. I much prefer the natural way...by the light of day and bird's songs.

Vicki Lane said...

Thanks, Jennifer and Steviewren!

Congratulations on the poetry book, RNSANE!

The Bug said...

I enjoyed this a lot - I may have to try my hand at a sonnet one of these Magpies...

I have one particular alarm that tends to beep at all hours (I can't seem to convince it that I've COMPLETED THE TASK ALREADY, so BE QUIET). This poem makes me wish I wasn't so bound by the strictures of time.

Peter Goulding said...

As a follow-on from my earlier comment, the beeping line jars a bit? (I know that sounds harsh as the rest of the poem is nigh on perfect)

Vicki Lane said...

Thank you, Bug! I put in my time as a teacher who had to pay attention to the clock -- it's such a delight now to wake up on my own time -- generally sunrise.

And Peter -- I appreciate that you gave my sonnet a second look! As I said, I'm not totally happy with the octet -- it's hard keeping to that ABBA ABBA rhyme scheme -- I may attempt to rework it eventually.

I was going for a bit of a jerky clockwork feel in the octet as opposed to a more flowing timeless impression in the sestet. So all the -eeping sounds seemed to fit with that purpose.

C.M. Jackson said...

beautiful. I loved the rhythm and the energy you created --powerful.

Unknown said...

ahh I got that we were in the constellation right at the end. Nice