Glistening
As I pull the bucket from the crude well,
the water changes from dark to a light
more silver than the sun. When I pour it
over my body that is standing in the dust
by the oleander bush, it sparkles easily
in the sunlight with an earnestness like
the spirit close up. The water magnifies
the sun all along the length of it.
Love is not less because of the spirit.
Delight does not make the heart childish.
We thought the blood thinned, our weight
lessened, that our substance was reduced
by simple happiness. The oleander is thick
with leaves and flowers because of spilled
water. Let the spirit marry the heart.
When I return naked to the stone porch,
there is no one to see me glistening.
But I look at the almond tree with its husks
cracking open int he heat. I look down
the whole mountain to the sea. Goats bleating
faintly and sometimes bells. I stand there
a long time with the sun and the quiet,
the earth moving slowly as I dry in the light.
the water changes from dark to a light
more silver than the sun. When I pour it
over my body that is standing in the dust
by the oleander bush, it sparkles easily
in the sunlight with an earnestness like
the spirit close up. The water magnifies
the sun all along the length of it.
Love is not less because of the spirit.
Delight does not make the heart childish.
We thought the blood thinned, our weight
lessened, that our substance was reduced
by simple happiness. The oleander is thick
with leaves and flowers because of spilled
water. Let the spirit marry the heart.
When I return naked to the stone porch,
there is no one to see me glistening.
But I look at the almond tree with its husks
cracking open int he heat. I look down
the whole mountain to the sea. Goats bleating
faintly and sometimes bells. I stand there
a long time with the sun and the quiet,
the earth moving slowly as I dry in the light.
by Linda Gregg
Such a beautifully private moment the author shares with us here...in her body in her thoughts in a place she feels comfortable enough to shower naked outside...I love the philosophical lines in the middle- appearing as natural as her Nature environment around us- a part of human life. I love how the sun shines light on so much more than just her skin- glistening the thoughts.
ReplyDeleteIt is a beautiful poem. It's serialized a little, but in a very elegant way: love, delight, glistering, naked, sparkle (or is the male in me sexualizing the narrator??)
DeleteI love the freedom in this poem, it really beats the cliche of the soar bird from "Your World." The woman and the oleander live parallel lives. The oleander grows because it is near the bathing area. Not because it had desire or tried hard or stopped being ________ (place any justification here). The oleander flourishes because it is close to the nutrients and an abundance of water (this reminds me of bucket baths in Africa). That's the same for the narrator. She glistens and roams her home naked because she is safe and living a peaceful life. Even though she is alone with no one to see her glisten, this isn't a problem for the narrator.
I love your response here..."the woman and the oleander live parallel lives...not because it had desire or tried hard or stopped being...even though she is alone with no one to see her glisten...". Stupendous visuals/parallels!
DeleteSerialized- you mean the timing too much in line to be actually happening?