The Red Poppy

Poetry by J

A THING of beauty is a thing worth sharing. Exhibit A:

The Red Poppy
Louise Glück

The great thing
is not having
a mind. Feelings:
oh, I have those; they
govern me. I have
a lord in heaven
called the sun, and open
for him, showing him
the fire of my own heart, fire
like his presence.
What could such glory be
if not a heart? Oh my brothers and sisters,
were you like me once, long ago,
before you were human? Did you
permit yourselves
to open once, who would never
open again? Because in truth
I am speaking now
the way you do. I speak
because I am shattered.

Featured image by Sven Gauditz from Unsplash. Poem copied from poets.org, originally from Louise Glück’s The Wild Iris (Ecco Press, 1992).

5 Comments

    1. Jolens
      Reply

      Yez mami, Gluck assumes the voice of the poppy in this piece. Mas na-appreciate ko ito n’ung nalaman kong may species pala ng poppy na monocarpic, as in they die soon after they flower and set their seeds. Mas naging meaningful ‘yung existential musings para sa akin, hehe.

      Nai-intimidate din ako sa poetry! Haha. 😀 Mas sa pagsulat though, okay lang ‘yung pagbasa. Ikaw ba?

      Liked by 1 person

      1. pinaymama@sg
        Reply

        Oooh. Hindi ko alam yung monocarpic poppy! Interesting.
        For me, intimidating both ways, probably more so in writing. 😅 At least when I read, I can enjoy the rhythm of the poem even if sometimes the meaning is lost on me. Eh sa writing, minsan mala-LFO rhymes lang ang nasusulat ko hehe.

        Liked by 1 person

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