what good is half an hourglass
without her sister vessel.
what good is half an hourglass
with it's cache of earth
caking in the humidity.
what good is half an hourglass
without fluid grains of sand,
like dreams into sleep,
like night into light,
like a bud into bloom,
like a worm into flight.
the world outside is melting into itself,
incense into air,
smile into a face,
flour into bread,
grape into wine,
gold into a wedding band.
the sun and the moon rise
true to the almanac.
the guava on the stone mantle
sends out the scent of ripeness.
the neighbour's cow
has birthed a female calf.
i see the earth still goes round
on the broken tip of my half hourglass
with it's cache of earth
caking in the humidity.
© 2010 Padmavani Karkera
Wow, I love this one! I've been reading through your poems here and I just adore them! This one especially caught my eye; the images are so simple, but there is something magical in them too. :)
ReplyDeleteAnother of my favorites so far is "i am your mother, i am." What a heartful poem. :)
I can't wait to read more!
Hello Katherine
ReplyDeleteI am happy you liked those poems and thank you for letting me know. I look forward to reading more of your work :).
Cheers
Padmavani
nice wrap around to the hourglass...even if we break it we can not hold back time...like the little touches, the cow giving birth and all that was still happening...
ReplyDeleteWhat a thought provoking poem, the question asked with repetition is an absolutely powerful one and indeed even now I am asking for an answer. Yes, as you say:
ReplyDelete"i see the earth still goes round
on the broken tip of my half hourglass..."
and I suppose that is why we are spinning out of control. Love the poem and the question, wish I had an answer...
Nice! Great repetition of similies in the second stanza, and I appreciate all the lines that have one image transforming into another.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely poem! I especially love: "the guava on the stone mantle sends out the scent of ripeness." How beautiful the perfumed picture...
ReplyDeleteWhooa!! What imagery, Padmavani.. stunning!! Aahh.. this was THE MOST loveliest way of saying time goes on... (holy bow to you, my dear)
ReplyDeleteAnd it seemed so fitting for the approaching change in season...
MOST REFRESHING!! I can smell the ripe guavas.. tooo good!!
..and life goes on and one...and who could stop time..lovely play on the hourglass with ...the world outside is melting into itself...one of my fav lines in this
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely beautiful, so tenuous.
ReplyDelete...what good is half an hourglass...
Brian, Tolbert, Dustus, Elizabeth, Kavitha, Claudia and kolembo, thank you so much for dropping by and letting me know what you think. I consider this one of my better poems :)
ReplyDelete