I ... entered the poem of life, whose purpose is ... simply to witness the beauties of the world, to discover the many forms that love can take. (Barabara Blackman in 'Glass After Glass')

These poems are works in progress and may be updated without notice. Nevertheless copyright applies to all writings here and all photos (which are either my own or used with permission). Thank you for your comments. I read and appreciate them all, and reply here to specific points that seem to need it — or as I have the leisure. Otherwise I reciprocate by reading and commenting on your blog posts as much as possible.

21 February 2014

My Glass Swan













My glass swan
sits above the computer now
so I can still look at it often.

Its first home was my bedroom
when I was a child. It lived
on top of the bookshelf then.

The top (or back) is a lid.
I keep, inside the cavity of its body,
soft, very tiny feathers.

It shows me all the serenity,
grace and beauty
I always longed to have.

It is like a promise …
though I’m sad to see that one wing
has become chipped.

But in a long life, that is perhaps
to be expected. Its calm beauty,
nevertheless, remains.
.


42 comments:

  1. Beautiful swan, Rosemary. I liked reading its history as well as what it means to you today.

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  2. the swan has always been a symbol of grace to me....my wife was a ballerina so there is a connection there....cool that inside its body are real feathers...and that you have had it for so long....

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    1. Ah yes, the Swan in that ballet is the ultimate symbol of grace.

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  3. How nice to own such a beautiful object and have had it for so long! I have very few things that are that old.

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    1. It surprises me now, to stop and realise how long I have had it. But it never occurred to me not to keep it, and keep treasuring it.

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  4. Such a lovely glass swan, chipped but beautiful to look at ~ Cool to read that you have had for a long time, since you were a child ~

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  5. I believe it is important to have such belongings to identify with. And they may change. I think I will take a trip, this spring, to the city to find something wonderful myself!

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    1. Evidently I think it important too, as I have a great love for certain objects, beautiful or with sentimental value, or both.

      What a great idea, to go and find something wonderful for yourself!

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  6. I believe objects like that are touchstones for our poetry - they travel through time with us, they hold more than feathers, they hold the promise of flying - ourselves. Lovely.

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  7. How nice to have a something like this from your childhood. I'm sure, just to look at it gives you comfort.

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  8. How wonderful to still have something from your childhood, Rosemary. We have a large flock of swans living on our river - they are so graceful!!

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    1. Oh, how lucky you are too, to have the living ones nearby!

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  9. The swans are disappearing from the lakes here in the NW; sad for sure. You really rocked the prompt with this one. Some people, like my wife, have kept stuffed animals from their childhood, but never a beautiful glass swan. Lovely to share; thanks.

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  10. Beautiful history. Yes, some things maintain their beauty, even when they show the scars of time

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  11. Ah, I had one of those...beautiful glass with light shining through it...great choice of objectification ;)

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    1. It's 'cut glass' really, with details of feathers carved on — but I thought it was stronger in the poem just to say 'glass'.

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  12. Love that you have something from your childhood, Rosemary. I have a couple of things that my grandmother gave me...true treasures to this day. Thanks for sharing the sweetness.

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  13. oh wow...that is so cool that you have it since your childhood...cool on the feather collection as well.. swans do have a calming beauty - and the chipped wing makes it even more real

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  14. What a treasure to have and to keep.. and how cool with the contrast of the cool chrystal and the feathers inside.

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  15. Perhaps we hold onto things because they are not just things they are stories.

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    1. Perhaps. In this case the story of the little girl I once was.

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  16. I have a blue bird brooch that I have had since I was ten and it was then I wrote my first poem. I have written well over a thousand poems . I would not be able to recite one of them but I remember every word of that one.It is the only poem I know off by heart.

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  17. The calm beauty of it remains... and that is great. A very sweet write and that is a beautiful glass swan. :-)
    -HA

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  18. Little scars and chips show the beauty in aging, and the soft feathers tucked inside, holding dreams or memories? Very nicely done.

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  19. The swan, for me, is such a lovely Totem. I have a small crystal one that was my parents'. Perhaps I need to bring it here, to my writing desk. We had two swans here on a pond outside our kitchen window. The first one died when it was hit by a car. The second one we discovered. It had been killed by an errant golf ball. We mourned.

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    1. Sad that those lovely creatures were killed. Don't bring your crystal swan to your desk if it will give you sad thoughts of those deaths!

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  20. Your swan is like a child's blankie that brings you comfort and peace. I just loved this poem Rosemary.

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    1. And besides, it's beautiful to look at. I'm so glad you enjoyed the poem.

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  21. That's a lovely piece. How nice it is that you still have this link from your childhood. :-)

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  22. very beautiful! to say that it has shared a journey with you!

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