Cloudthings

Aug 14, 2009 ⭐ View statistics (Premium feature)

Licking Raindrops

Could you sing to me?
From that sepia shot
Where you are searching the sky
… Like I do
Like I did 'That' day
(before I realised you were gone... indelibly)
That day you never returned
That day the twin engine images burned,
Searing into the skin of my history
A never healing wound
“The big blue”
                                         (...and later
                                              ...on my pilgrimage there
                                                    ...it was
                                                        ...in truth
                                                             ...a divine green
                                                                  that water!
                                                                      Too beautiful to be the thing that erased your being)
The place that swallowed you
I am addicted to it’s siren potency
No matter what (or who) believes in me

Oh terrible beauty
where I secretly lay
forever
seaweed wistful

Immerse me
Follow me, cut off the air supply
Immerse me
Know how my comfort adjusts to the pressure
Immerse me
Know that it is the place of sustainable peace in me
Immerse me
Take me,
Oh...
.... no, don’t take me, merciless, from the sea

My wild consumed by the water's wild
Washing my “restless” away
Numbing pale resistance to stay

I was reduced to licking raindrops from my skin
In a desperate attempt to build an ocean here within
Where I could be alone

— Cloudthings, Aug 14, 2009

About This Poem

About the Author

Region, Country: Australia, regional Victoria, AUS

Favorite Poets: So many... Rumi, Spike Milligan, Keats. Many of the Neopoet clan, past & present. A myriad of song writers, Dylan, Jackson Browne, Lior, & I must add the poetic influence of painters, sculptors & creators across the world... Life really, especially the sky.

Critiques

Fleur MacDonald

16 years 9 months ago

This is a wonderful

work of storytelling. Changing locations and licking raindrops from your skin. They always taste nice. Thank you :)fleur

Cloudthings

16 years 9 months ago

Thanks Fluer, you seem always able to say things in a wonderful

Thanks Fluer, you seem always able to say things in a wonderfully simple way. & yes they do taste nice, magical in a way. Cheers Anni~ "A word is not the same with one writer as with another. One tears it from his guts. The other pulls it out of his overcoat pocket". ~Charles Peguy

yenti

16 years 9 months ago

Raindrops and Cloudthings

As if you are taking yourself apart to hide, yet to be heard to cry, a lonelyness of the hermit is only enhanced by the daily visits of them that love him. In you it is your strength of mind that can release a bird and fly with him/her (PC) and yet be alone to wonder at what a flight of freedom is..... These are some words for you to feel, and in doing so move on, to be born again and again in a flurry of colour, this is a lovely write, Yours Ian.T

Cloudthings

16 years 9 months ago

Thanks for knowing the essence of this write Ian

Ian, these are lovely words... it seems I had missed many comments here, it is nice to return & discover these lovely words here, you have added such lovely words of your own & I feel honoured at the gentleness & kindness you have offered, thank you. Flight is a pertinent term here of course, & the strength you compliment me with is due to the many years & the goodness of many people in my life, including my lost love, that kind of love brings (eventually) wisdom & wings, I will never take such things for granted. It was a lot for the world to lose to take me to that point, I was determined for his sake, to learn every lesson possible from that loss, 20 plus years later, I still do. Thanks for knowing the essence of this write Ian Cheers Anni~ "A word is not the same with one writer as with another. One tears it from his guts. The other pulls it out of his overcoat pocket". ~Charles Peguy

positively4thst

16 years 9 months ago

I have to say that I really

I have to say that I really enjoyed this piece. You had my attention from begining to end and your methaphor and language usage were wonderful. You started out with a nice and strong begining that roped me in. I also would really like to thank you for sharing what you did with me, it really made me think.

Cloudthings

16 years 9 months ago

I hope you are finding Neo a good place to be, I will come in se

Hi, sorry I've been pretty absent for a while. This is a lovely comment to find on my return, thank you. A nice bit of feedback, I am pleased the piece pleased you. I hope you are finding Neo a good place to be, I will come in search of your work as soon as I catch up on comments I have neglected. It's a pleasure to share with you... good hearts are a pleasure to meet! Cheers Anni~ "A word is not the same with one writer as with another. One tears it from his guts. The other pulls it out of his overcoat pocket". ~Charles Peguy

Nordic cloud

16 years 9 months ago

Oh the loss, the

Oh the loss, the inconsolable loss, what can we do who hear of it what can you do who suffer it? what can anyone do, when death is a fact it is done, the memory lingers and is indelibly within our minds forever but if in life, life goes on, life happens as Longo says philosophically we must go on and sing our song to its end a song so beautiful a song we are so lucky to be allowed to sing a song with its own individual beginning, development and end it goes on and we find the memory is jogged and within the experience of the jog is all the positive that created the reason for the memory and that can NEVER be taken from us, it is part of who we are in the now beautiful and full of joyful fulfilment Oh dear Anni of the sailing clouds sail on, sing your song with your voice so full of music that you should sway the trees in harmony with your feelings and use the memories to give the pathos, the power to those songs and warm the hearts of all others who suffer too, each in their different ways you can do it, we see that you can do it so go out there and do it!!! Your loving friend Anushka

Cloudthings

16 years 9 months ago

Anushka, what delightful things you write of me & us & life

Ah my beloved Anushka, what delightful things you write of me & us & life, just wonderful. Indeed, I am so in agreeance too we experience grief & then we work through it & what better way than to sing (& I did, I have never ceased & hope I never do), Mark died over 20 years agao, there has been a great deal to learn from that loss & I have had other losses since, most of us don't experience so much loss so young, but most of us by now have, so I know I am not alone here... I was lucky to have the comfort of his extraordinary family & others that loved him greatly as comfort as much as one might be comforted. Nothing can remove the loss, but in truth in time it becomes more comfortable & can be the bed of great & fruitful goodness... I feel you know this, you are like a magnet to that goodness my lovely Ann, you bloom with so much of it.. look here at your generosity & warmth. Cheers Anni~ "A word is not the same with one writer as with another. One tears it from his guts. The other pulls it out of his overcoat pocket". ~Charles Peguy

Race_9togo

16 years 9 months ago

Immerse me

You did. You absolutely did. I'm still wondering, shaking my head, [pondering how you managed to take such loss and ache and make it as magical as ritual on a star-lit night. Respectfully Jim "Laws and rules don't kill freedom: narrow-minded intolerance does" : Race

Cloudthings

16 years 9 months ago

I don't know how I missed this lovely compliment, thank you

I don't know how I missed this lovely compliment, thank you... bit too much going on during that time maybe). & well!, I cannot let it go by... I am chuckling at my blush over this wicked lascivious picture here Jim.... Race-y I would call that one, hope you can meet the humour, heh fantastic... I do love Pan, Puck & Bacchus... I think that must be about a 15 pack, not just a 6 pack! that bloke is sporting! Ah but he is pulling in the fairies! Cheers Anni~ "A word is not the same with one writer as with another. One tears it from his guts. The other pulls it out of his overcoat pocket". ~Charles Peguy

bjp

16 years 9 months ago

Dear Anni,

I avoided reading this poem until now, brought to it by your absence, that ghost of you walking the pages with a neon outline. You have lamented words into a dripping tourniquet. We watch the wilt of flower and the call to love in a kind of controlled sob. It is explanation. It is the pressure of the blood. It is a very good poem, Anni. Brian

Cloudthings

16 years 9 months ago

partly I think I must thank Neo for it's role in bringing me to

Hi Brian, well, perhaps I should be absent more often then, these are sweet & kind words on a relatively sensitive write so I thank you. It was nice to finally really be able to express more clearly & directly the circumstances of loss I usually only refer to in more cryptic form, partly I think I must thank Neo for it's role in bringing me to that brink & partly my love & his courage with his more recent loss... Bu yes, it is the pressure of blood, a thing that never ever leaves & sit behind every breath forever, you get used to it & it can be a beautiful addition adding passion & depth, but also I think it often distances much of my being to a ghostly half existance... Still, who'd know... very few, you might be among the very rare visionaries maybe. I wonder though, why you say you avoided this except for my absence? Cheers Anni~ "A word is not the same with one writer as with another. One tears it from his guts. The other pulls it out of his overcoat pocket". ~Charles Peguy

bjp

16 years 9 months ago

Dear Anni,

I deleted the duplicate comment. Brian

deelilah

16 years 9 months ago

Dear Anni

This is what I wrote to you on a previous poem: “I could see the hole in you, though undisturbed” This is a wonderful line, as is the entire poem. ““Wake me up before I drown here - Pull me from the sinking weighted colours here that bind me –” I also like this one. Your poetry is very deep. You like clouds and water, but the water is always ominous for you, yet in some way soothing, like it would be sweet relief to sink underwater where the realities are blurred. "Immerse me Follow me, cut off the air supply Immerse me Know how my comfort adjusts to the pressure Immerse me Know that it is the place of sustainable peace in me Immerse me Take me, no, don’t take me from the sea My wild consumed by the waters wild Washing my “restless” away Numbing resistance to stay" I rest my case. Your way with words will help to keep you centered, not in the sky or under the water, but on solid earth. Always, Deelilah

Cloudthings

16 years 9 months ago

Ta for your observations, they add dimension to my thoughts & I

Gorgeous Deelilah, I do love that name for you, it is so rich in quality & enchantment in my mind, perfect for you as I expect there is so much to you. Interesting the way you have brought these 2 writes together, the former is written somewhat about loss & it's effect as I see it on another (& some of me snuck in no doubt) & this one is more directly about my own loss... Water is important somehow in grief, & my partner was a pilot whose plane crashed into the depths of the ocean (towing targets for the navy who hired his company plane), so that makes it pretty clear I guess, my obsessions are pretty transparent here. Ta for your observations, they add dimension to my thoughts & I like that. Cheers Anni~ "A word is not the same with one writer as with another. One tears it from his guts. The other pulls it out of his overcoat pocket". ~Charles Peguy

faerybeki

16 years 9 months ago

Anni, darling woman, I’m

Anni, darling woman, I'm so proud of you for this write, I know it must have been a hard one for you. It's beautiful. You're beautiful. I meant to comment before but was consistently too moved to hon. It's brought tears to my eyes again this morning, I could drown myself in the emotion here babe, so sadly, so lovingly expressed. I LOVE the title, Licking Raindrops, just perfect and such a light hearted image to juxtapose the grief that soaks the poem. Tremendous writing Anni, as always I'm utterly absorbed. Hope you're doing ok babe, it's good to know you're writing a bit at least, let yourself rest, allow yourself what ever it is you need and get those otters and that lovely boy of yours to hug you for me? :) Love you, Beki xxx

Cloudthings

16 years 9 months ago

nothing light hearted about licking raindrops, that's serrrrious

You just look GORGEOUS in that pic girl!!! Love it. Sorry this made you sad... you know over 20 years & I am really just getting this stuff out in public, it's taken a while, but don't fret, it's kind of part of me so it doesn't hurt any more than having it internally present anyway... I suspect some of it has surfaced more actively because of the constant awareness of the loss the otters have gone through too... Anyway, you know, we all have our tragedies & difficulties, I know you have had your share. Actually, on reflection, I felt a little saddened by one of your recent works too. I hope you never feel you must comment on something if it makes you ucomfortable my lovely friend. I added a new section to this one recently, not something I'd normally do, but I read it after a comment & that just turned up. Oh & by the way dear Faery, nothing light hearted about licking raindrops, that's serrrrious bizzz you know (kidding of course, make sure you use a suitable Scottish accent when voicing that last comment!). Cheers xx Anni~ "A word is not the same with one writer as with another. One tears it from his guts. The other pulls it out of his overcoat pocket". ~Charles Peguy