Lighthouse Lament

Brady Bowen 1973 (Louisiana)



this thunderous silence shakes the house
of my heart until stony dust rains
down onto the heads of my cowering selves

this dark lightning flashes black in the eyes
making darkspots swim in the vision
of the multitude of me

her face turns away from my plaintive pleas
a chisel driven into the heartstone
cleaving it with careless ease

the regard of the lady turns; my lighthouse
guiding the spirit is no more
my love a wreck on the rocks of her hurting

I break apart into shards of longing
no more a stately thing of grace
where once I visited her soft sugar-sand

she was what I imagined her to be once
undiscovered wilderness where time slowed
expanding to fill the passion-seas of US

you cannot conquer her wild rookery-rocks
where her kindnesses glided in
searching there to nest in me

or know the darkling jungled felines of her
crouched in passion now to spring
upon you as she tears you with loving

my soul is stranded evermore; starved eyes
searching for the vinefruit of her words
but I devoured them hungrily

inhalation of her saltwinds cannot be
she sails now on another sea
and my eyes burn the horizon to foamy ash

About this poem

For YOU

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Written on March 14, 2022

Submitted by BradyB999 on March 14, 2022

Modified by BradyB999 on March 14, 2022

1:09 min read
23

Quick analysis:

Scheme AXX BCD ECE AXF FXX XXX XXD XFF BXD DDX
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,151
Words 230
Stanzas 10
Stanza Lengths 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3

Discuss the poem Lighthouse Lament with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Lighthouse Lament" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 12 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/122502/lighthouse-lament>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    May 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    19
    days
    7
    hours
    34
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Which poet wrote “The Tyger”?
    A William Shakespeare
    B William Blake
    C Emily Dickinson
    D Sylvia Plath