Dragons of the earth flashing
red and green and gold
once moved to the galaxies
above cry out, they rage
against fate and thrash
their tails in a glitter
of fiery stars.
Sirens of the ocean weaving
seaspawn and seawrack
removed to the same
night sky, they rage
against time and weep
for their watery home
in teardrop stars.
And we, what have we to do
with dragons, with sirens, we
who see only the stars, only
beauty, we who’ve lost the exquisite
pain of those elemental beings?
We have nothing to do but
await the next wound, await
being ripped aloft from the earth,
soothed for now in soft forgetfulness,
in the bare beauty of the night sky,
where sirens silently weep the more
because they cannot
weep for us.
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shakemyheadhollow 
This is a very beautiful and meaningful poem!🌸🌸
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Thanks so much Annabel! With poems like this, it’s hard to know if they will resonate with anyone until they are released. Like many, it started with a seed, but the seed disintegrates quickly so the stems and leaves and flowers can grow. All you have left here are the stems, leaves, and flowers. Don’t ask me about the seed because it ceased to exist as the first words were written 😊 Gary
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Wow, Gary. thank you so much for such valuable insights, esp from the poet himself.
I did experience some complexed emotions as I read through this poem, the nudge was subtle yet enough for me to ponder deeper😃
Thank you for sharing this wonderful poem of yours!🥂👍
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Thank YOU, Annabel, for reminding me of what I am really trying to do here and in most of my poetry (“the nudge” that’s “subtle yet enough…”) — i.e., not reduce the reading experience to a fixed meaning (we might consider that a riddle, not a poem), but nudge the reader, give them a rich set of materials for them to “ponder deeper” and find their own byways of meaning. So I’d say you and I have helped each other reach a space of greater clarity today 🙂
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I loved what you say, Gary🥂🥳. And also much touched by the your thoughtfulness in writing. And yes, we are here for each other and looking forward to reading more great poetry from you!
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🙏🥳
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Sorry, I think I deleted that. I just said I have one eye on your blog, too, Annabel 🙂 This poem, by the way, is part of a set of 12, but I don’t plan to post them all. If you want more bits, you can reach out to me on my About page 🙂
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Thank you, Gary 🌸 it was very kind of you! 🙏🍸
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I enjoyed your fitting metaphor, not too blunt not to direct, placing our ignorance, our destructive nature, in a mythological context.
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Thanks, Michael. I like that reading. It broadens my own reading of the poem. Also, I like the assessment of style (not too blunt, not too direct) 🙂 Gary
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Oh this is beautiful, in all its power and imagery and philosophy.
“we who’ve lost the exquisite
pain of those elemental beings?”
Something to truly ponder about! Such an artistic poem.
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Thanks, Isha. That means a lot, coming from someone like you, whose poetry always calls me back with its imagery and emotional contours. 🙂 Gary
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That’s very kind and humbling, Gary. Thank you!
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Wow. Forgive me for stopping at that one word, but this is so intriguing. I’ll have to find a way to work it into one of my class discussions.
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Thanks so much, Chandra Lynn! Let me know if you work it in. I always learn more about my poetry by hearing what other people do with it. Maybe I can Zoom call into your class at the end of your discussion 🙂 (You can email me through my About page if relevant.) Gary
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