Ink me in colour
This monochrome heart
That’s bled black
For a thousand years and
Stained the Earth with pain,
Given birth to the sorrow
That wails through the night
A banshee’s song
Makes the Moon in her shame
Cover her face
And drop an icy tear which melts
A torrent which washes this despair
From corner to corner
Of a globe already sodden,
I’ll watch as each droplet seeps
Slowly from the pipette
Splashing upon the canvas
Like the first kiss of Spring
Its trickle running with quiet insistence
From page to page
Impregnates the white impassive
Sketches of life
Drowned from birth
By the flow from my eye,
Watch with impossible hope
For the pigment to take
And wash the black blood
Red – passion’s hue –
The disinterested white
Now coloured with love,
Empty the well
And I’ll drink with the thirst
Of the dying
And cling to yesterday’s hope
That the colour won’t come
Too late.
© All original writing copyright Chris Nelson 2018
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Wow Christ. Your poetry is engrossing. The more I read of you, the more fascinated I am with your ability to consume all my attention and engage all my senses.
I love these long thoughts which I wanted to gulp down in one bite and was left almost breathless when they ended.
Truly impressive.
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Jesus, I called you Christ. Your poetry is divine, that’s why.
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Ha, ha! I’ve been called worse! Thanks for that though.
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You’re welcome.
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I was gonna say something earlier but I figured it might be short for Christian. Lol.
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😄
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rofl
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Sorry, I didn’t properly reply to your initial comment. Thank you so much for your generous words which have truly left me feeling humbled. I am delighted that this resonated with you and that you felt that it touched you: I could hope for no more. Many, many thanks.
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Welcome, Chris. So well deserved.
(ftr, I misspelled it again). There’s sth about your name….
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😄Thanks!
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I really love this your command of imagery with short phrases is masterful.
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Thank you so much your thoughts mean alot to me.
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You are so very welcome.
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Stunning Chris.
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Thanks, Mark, much appreciated.
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Chris, this is Gorgeous. I want to read it again and again. It swallows me up and tears at my heart. Your writing is so fluid, so all encompassing, words to fall into.
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Thank you for such a lovely response – I’m just delighted that you found something in this.
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You’re one of the most prolific writers I’ve come across on wordpress. This is another dark gem. Crafted to perfection.
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Left to my own devices I’m a bit lazy truth be told. One of the things that I like about WP, along with the positive responses that I have had, is that it does spur me on to write more and to try to aim for some kind of quality in my writing. How successful that is is, I guess, up to those who take the time – and I’m very grateful to them – to read me. So thank you for your encouraging feedback.
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You’re welcome, Sir.
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☺
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Gorgeous 💙
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Thank you, I appreciate you reading. Glad you liked this.
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Chris, this is writing
from a tempestuous pallet.
It left a spectral imprint.
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That’s wonderful to hear, David – I’m delighted that this resonated with you.
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Oh Chris! You take me on such journeys!
Please forgive me if I’m running off on tangents but you write such evocative lines that pull me skyward and back through time. That’s the thing with poetry, with art like this, in that the author offers his words but can’t always predict how they will be filtered or through which crevices they’ll cascade before burst forth as a waterfall of imagery that floods my eyes and washes my senses.
Firstly, the tone is one of grief and longing, such as I would expect Gaia to have for earth or humanity. I know how adept you are at personification so I’m pulled toward big things like the ice age/global warming and humanity’s apathetic disregard for the planet and its inhabitants.
But perhaps I am allowing my own infatuation with nature to stain your ink because it feels personal too which is why I thought perhaps it was written from a creator viewpoint.
I’m sorry if I’m reading it all wrong but please know your writing has such tremendous influence I can’t help but be sent careening with every stroke of your pen.
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Maggie, thank you for such an in-depth and insightful response to this piece. I am honoured and humbled by your words.
Of course you are correct in your analysis of poetry, and this is partly why I refrain from any commentary on my writing. That said, your reading of this just about captures my intentions, so I am pleased that it worked for you, but I’m just delighted that it touched you.
All the best
Chris
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More than anything, Chris, I want to hear. I want to hear beyond my own echoes and receive the gift of sight from others. The more I read of you the more I learn your language, your personal dialect and in time this will afford me greater understanding of what you see. Keep writing Chris and I will keep learning. 😊
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Yes, it is important to keep on being open and not retreat into a bubble. I would say the same to you, Maggie
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Reblogged this on chrisnelson61.
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