Collapse doline
you draw me in, below, beneath
and in between
the underworld and over.
Persephone was crownéd queen
here in this realm
silent, unseen
beside her demon lover.
The fear of death evoked beneath
the sealing stone’s rock ceiling,
the river with one raging breath
a wat’ry fate revealing.
Collapse doline, the world within
punctured my heart with knowing
parallel worlds in other times
hidden by outward showing
the falsehoods of our daily lives
materially demanding
futile works with futile hands
wrought by misunderstanding
our time on earth, our life-in-death
a misinterpretation
we seek the sacred river’s breath
divine, as inspiration.
© Experimentsinfiction 2021, All Rights Reserved
Written for earthweal
Brendan’s challenge this week is to write of a voyage to the Otherworld. As he explains:
I have used the medium of Irish myth, but voyages to the Otherworld are universal. Journey there this week from inside your own story-cycle, and report on the news you find there.
As luck or fate would have it, I had the privelege of journeying to the Otherworld of Škocjanske Jame at the weekend, and initially I tried to write a narrative poem about the experience, inspired by Coleridge’s ‘Kubla Khan.’ However, this poem ended up ‘meandering with a mazy motion,’ so I began again, this time writing not the narrative of the trip but of the internal experience it evoked.
I may revise the Coleridge-inspired poem and put this up for the Open Link Weekend.
Škocjanske Jame had ritual significance as far back as the 12th Century BC, when they most likely were recognised as marking a boundary between the known world and the underworld. A ‘Collapse Doline’ is a sinkhole formed when the underground river collapses the rock ceiling above through the sheer power of erosion.
Oh wow … what mysterious voyage to otherworld … I think I’ll stay on the top side of the doline..
You’re missing out Ivor! 😉
Maybe you are right… it’s probably better down there .. than up here, where the old exploding bricks as flying, Left, Right, and Centre…
Exactly! Only the sound of the river. Unless it floods, you’d be fine…
Good … no flying bricks then …
Thanks for the vocab. lesson. Doline was new to me.🙂
‘Dolina’ means ‘valley’ in Slovenian, so this geological term comes from a Slovenian word, as does ‘karst’ from the Slovenian ‘Kras’ region with its classic karst topography! I’ll stop now 😅
Interesting…thank you!
You are really making me want to see this cave with a river.
It’s worth the trip!
Purgatories like this date back to the Paleolithic caves. St. Patrick’s purgatory at Lough Derg is a similar haunt where the veil is thin. You bring back from your own visit such a haunting, powerful image. We are renewed in that sacred river’s breath. Thanks for bringing it Ingrid – Brendan
You’re welcome Brendan, thank you.
Great prompt, and excellent poem, Ingrid. I love the merging of the physical, geological formation with the imagery of the underworld.
Thank you Merril 😊
You’re welcome!
I love the twists and turns this took Ingrid in the underworld and the dolina… i had to look that up. nicely done💖👏🌷
Thank you Cindy ❤️🌺❤️
💖❣️❤️
“the falsehoods of our daily lives
materially demanding
futile works with futile hands
wrought by misunderstanding”
These four lines speak to me. I love their lyrical flow and the follow-up stanza that brings the journey to a beautiful and resounding end!
Thank you Jaya, I am pleased you appreciate the flow of the words!
Yes, yes. Your poem captures that desire to find the otherworld within this one so eloquently.
Thanks Suzanne 🙏
Your cave visit was both visually appealing and poetically inspiring. Lucky us! I imagine your mind was racing with ideas while walking through there.
I was a bit overwhelmed by it, as you might be able to tell. Thanks Michele!
After reading your posts and marvelling at your photos over the weekend, I had an idea they would make their way into a poem, Ingrid, together with Greek myth! They look like an Otherworld. I love the movement in the opening lines, the pull in different directions, which creates a sensation of falling or collapse. I especially love the lines:
‘Collapse doline, the world within
punctured my heart with knowing
parallel worlds in other times
hidden by outward showing’.
Thank you Kim: yes, this trip provided inspiration for probably a whole host of poems 😅
I really like the intense rhythm of this, Mysterious. (K)
Thanks Kerfe!
So wonderful. I love the thought of those parallel worlds………we definitely misinterpreted what we are supposed to be doing here in this one. Wonderful writing!
Thank you Sherry. I think misinterpreted is right!
Wow and yes. What a beautiful place and a beautiful write – so full of riverbreath and wonder. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Thank you Lindi – you’re most welcome 😊
I love you use of doline to start your poem — had to dredge the meaning out of memories from lectures on Martian geology…. 🙂
What a fascinating connection! I didn’t even realise it was a geological term as it just means ‘valley’ here.
Wow amazing poetry, that image is unbelievable. And the history is so alluring. I’m so jealous 😅
Thank you Jude! I am sure there are many fascinating places where you are too 😊
Yeah, a few and now my longing is doubled.
a fine poem in the oral tradition – where we may return, should this digital world give way ~
Good point! I have toyed with the idea of trying to compose a poem and memorise it without writing it down
After reading about your tour, it’s understandable that it would inspire this:
“The fear of death evoked beneath
the sealing stone’s rock ceiling,
the river with one raging breath
a wat’ry fate revealing.”