You fling it open for the first time/ but I’m gone
M Kahf ~ Wall
Why did you always keep the window closed?
What did you fear? I’m asking – look – she’s
barefoot in the field, she’s dusty,
arms scratched, squinting at the sun.
Didn’t you notice she was always gazing
out of the window? That she itched and twitched
in rhythm with the blackbird, that she sighed.
Was it the sound of sunlight that you hated?
Or the scent of bees? or the blue screaming
of the sky? Tell me. I’m waiting.
For Laura at dVerse. Thinking about how we end poems. Laura gives us lines to springboard from and use as epigraph
Sarah writes poems 
This is incredibly deep and gorgeously worded, Sarah! I can feel the emotions, the thirst for more as the questions graze its surface. Especially love; “Didn’t you notice she was always gazing out of the window? That she itched and twitched in rhythm with the blackbird, that she sighed.” 💝💝
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I’m intrigued by these three people, or perhaps there are only two, and their relationship. To leap out of the window and chase blackbirds is incomprehensible to some. I do like the ‘itched and twitched’—it’s exactly how I describe Finbar when he’s sending out unsubtle signals that he wants to be off his lead.
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I had an intro verse, but it was a bit leaden, so I chopped it. And I changed the person from first to third, so the poem is a bit confused as to its identity!
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I like the effect. It’s as though the one who jumped through the window maybe didn’t and is speaking about herself in third person to explain what she might or might not do. One day.
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I can only see this as an impossible situation when one wants to be free and the other be locked inside… freedom can be frightful really…
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The emotions, it all feels so tragic like an end. Almost as if the question can’t have an answer because the person doesn’t have one; it’s poignant in that way, letting the silence fall between the questions accepting it as your answer. Very eloquently penned and stirring.
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a twisted torment that has me intrigued …
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Oh my goodness, Sarah! That last stanza is gripping!
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Clear, direct and sensorially sensational, Sarah. And I esp like the synesthesiac-ish second stanza. My hat is off (because the top of my head is blown away).
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I dig this. I love the urgency of that last stanza. Fantastic!
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Wow! this is a really intense statement! Love what you did with the prompt Sarah!
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“Was it the sound of sunlight that you hated?” Oh that is precious. As a friend of someone who has synesthesia I know the answer to this from their view. I also feel this for myself in the push me/pull you duality of my own thoughts at times. Your verse is striking.
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I felt that yearning on the one part very strongly, particularly ‘the blue screaming
of the sky’ – stunning imagery.
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Such a clever piece – a sympathetic eye for the imprisoned and then in the last rather than accusation (which would be entirely justified) understanding for the troubled parent. (Well that’s my take on this).
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Wow. This stanza makes my brain explode with profound awe and appreciation.
🤯
-David
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This poem seems to be about a complex relationship, with the speaker asking questions that may or may not be answered, and sometimes directly addressing the other person and sometimes referring to her in the third person. It could be a mother frustrated with her daughter – or a daughter frustrated with a demented mother. Whichever it is, I can feel it, Sarah.
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The currents that connect and fray all at once. Time is compressed, explosive. (K)
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Reblogged this on Yard Sale of Thoughts and commented:
The questions piling up create angst which flows well from the spirit of this final line. Enjoyed!
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Thank you for the reblog! ☺️
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What a wonderful read! I was transfixed. To me, this was the persona in later years confronting the person in her past who had overpowered her longings and wanting to know why. There is so much of an undercurrent of grief, of anger, of mere curiosity here that its just heart-grabbing.
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This interesting poem feels very Fellini-esque. Reads like subtitles to an Italian film noir. I think I heard Claudia Cardinale asking those questions….
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We need more poetry videos…
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An awesome poem … awesome!!!
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Are these your poems?
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Yes they are! Why do you ask? ☺️
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Thank you for your reply. Love them – I will read more. Would you like one to be a song?
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Oh, I never thought about it. What do you have in mind?
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Nothing in particular – if I feel an inspiration coming on , you’ll be the first to know 🙂 regards from Athens, Greece
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