‘What then is this wild dark?’
The question: my reply
‘It is a shining sea
sunless, whose plumbless depths
reach downwards to fathom infinity’
Its edges, silvered, shiver through my soul
I am set free
I face the darkness:
it does not diminish me
‘I’m all adrift in blackness’ I cry
find you holding me
we’re afloat
alight
at creation’s obscured boundary
I take a breath and dive
a thousand thousand shimmering things
with shapeless forms
envelop me
I writhe, break free, emerge
exhaling poetry.
© 2022 experimentsinfiction.com. All Rights Reserved.
Written for earthweal
In this week’s challenge, Brendan explores The Wild Dark:
The dark is the source of mantic inspiration, the dead are the carriers of deep tradition, and poetry is the green fire of dark knowledge. The procedure for gaining poetic inspiration was clearly a burial and a rebirth.
He poses the question which I have used for the opening line of my poem. It makes me realise that perhaps I should be grateful for my PMDD, which gives me the experience of facing extreme darkness on a regular, cyclical basis. I come up singing. See also The Place Where Poetry is Born.
If you enjoyed this poem, please consider supporting my work by buying my book, 40 Poems at 40!
An intriguing voyage deep beyond the darkness and then diving into a thousand thousand shimmering things and emerging breathing fantastic lines of poetry … well then .. I’ll send you my favourite poet/singer/songwriter, Leonard Cohen, singing his incredible poem “A Thousand Kisses Deep”…
https://youtu.be/M1mkFKVns6U
Thank you for the added inspiration, Ivor!
Definitely my pleasure Ingrid ..
This is a magnificent piece, Ingrid. Loved it❤
Thank you Ishita ❤️
beautiful… and I second your ‘wow!’ Ingrid!
<3
David
Many thanks David! 😅
For all their misery and near-fatal (and sometimes too fatal) drownings, I’ve come to think that our worst wounds are also our most vital wombs, for poetry for sure but the deep spirit who lives in us … My alcoholism is shamanic in that those darkest places I hurled myself was a seeking for transformation which, if I could survive the initiation, became an enduring source of lucency. The poem here is the surest example of it. No one would wish the condition but what poetry comes up as a result. Life throws us a lot of bad crab, drowning deeps, dark stuff: learning to sing it, negotiate it, follow where it leads, listen: that’s the singing dark mind that sustains poetry, I think. Thanks so for bringin’ it to earthweal. (The jellyfish in the image is such a powerful imago for noir fire!)
Thank you Brendan: I don’t believe that any suffering is in vain.
Amazing piece. Truly enjoyed .💕❤️💕
Thank you 🙏😊
My pleasure💕
Exhaling poetry…what a wonderful image. Yout poem really captures the feeling of rebirthing. (K)
Thank you Kerfe!
Such a good piece, revealing the need for and importance of fortitude and resilience. 👏
Always! Thank you, Lamittan 🙏
Indeed!! Feel most welcome, dear. 🙏
In the childhood, I was afraid of the dark (nights). Now it became a part of life. Your poem makes me more brave.
I am glad to hear that! Thank you Lokesh.
Wow! Each birth, each transformation from one form to another, we face that ocean and dive. Bless you, poet.
Thank you Susan 🙏
The last two lines especially are glorious, Ingrid. Perhaps we appreciate the light more, if we experience some darkness.
Thank you, Merril: I think so!
You’re welcome!
and this is exquisite poetry Ingrid!
💖💖
“I writhe, break free, emerge
exhaling poetry.”
Thank you, Cindy: my muse was working overtime this morning 😅 she’s signed off now though 🤪
you’re welcome!!! I see that… yeah time to get to work.. lol and you have a lot i know! 🤣💖🤣💖🤣
Yeah, let’s not forget the laundry 🧺 👚 🧦😅🤣
train those boys early… you won’t be sorry.. but maybe they’re a little young yet.. haha
💖🤣💖
Benji isn’t: good point 😅❤️
oh stories to tell when my typing improves! 🤎🤎🤎💌
Now I’m intrigued… 🤔
lol 🤣🤣🤣
that’s a good thing. …. yayyyy Benji! 💖💖💖🤎🤎🤎🤎 chocolate for you. 🤎
🍫 ❤️
🤎💖
This is GLORIOUS! I love the thousand shimmering things and the emergence exhaling poetry!
Thank you kindly, Sherry: I borrowed that idea from Coleridge, but his were slimy things!
I so love the many emotions and pictures this poem brings to mind because, despite its specificity, it leaves room for so much more! <3
Thank you, Jaya – that is great to hear! ❤️
Extremely Sorry for above comment Ingrid. Can you please delete it? It got posted wrongly due to some glitch on WP that jumped to your post while typing elsewhere.
No problem! Thank you for letting me know. A lot of people are having this issue!
Thank you! It has been frustrating as the windows keep jumping mid-sentence. Please delete all these, just needed to express 🙂
I take a breath and dive
a thousand thousand shimmering things …exhaling poetry.
What a breathtakingly beautiful poem this is, absolutely loved the conclusion!
Thank you so much! 🙏
Gorgeous imagery. I also enjoyed the ending and the multiple interpretations you created.
Thank you, Michele, I’m glad you liked it!
What an amazing poem, Ingrid. I love the completeness of the darkness and then the emergence in the ending. Brilliant!
Thanks Jeff!
Time to embrace the dark.
Makes sense!
I really loved reading this Ingrid. I explore common tropes of darkness and light in much of my poetry and even more intimately in my upcoming novel trilogy.
We have so much to learn from the dark side… thanks Jude! X
How wonderful. I wish I could dive into those depths with you. You’d be a great guide. 🙂
I suppose I have enough experience! It’s tough sometimes, but hopefully worthwhile.
Life is tough right now!
It certainly can be!
We need to face the darkness first to understand every dark side. I think so. 🤔
I think so too!
Thanks dear!💞
I love this Ingrid. It kind of reminds me of the book Women who run with the wolves. In particular, the parts about facing your dark side.
Thank you, Constance, I am intrigued about the book now!
This is wonderful to read – dark times birthing into beautiful poetry.
Thank you Marion 🙏
An encouraging message for the dark times, Ingrid! <3 I reread this poem today when my mind was calm and very much appreciated it. <3
I am glad you managed to find a moment of calm, and appreciated my poem. I have been struggling, but today I found some peace of mind also ❤️