red fruit: apple
Photo uploaded by beta karel.
If I brought you a cloak
embroidered with stars
a staff & a crown & a steed
would you mount it?If I laid out a carpet
from my veins of bright red
if I bled & I bled
would you walk it?If I sent you a bird
with a song yet unheard
if it came in a cage
would you free it?If I wove silk from corn
if I turned wheat to gold
would you wrap yourself up?
Would you count it?If I gave you a colt
with a horn in his head
would you hold out your hand?
Would you feed it?If I cast down my hair
with its stiff strands of grey
if I unwound the braid
would you climb it?If I offered my head
on a carved wooden plate
if I died, if I’m dead
would you grieve it?If I hand you an apple
from my orchard of hearts
— it is ripe, it is red —
will you eat it?[ poem by SB ]
If
15 responses to “If”
-
This is marvelous. Thank you. Have you read anything by Marion B at Open Diary?
-
If I told you this post moved me and it was perfect, would you believe me?
You should! Smiles! -
You wrote me a poem
a list of gifts
I found it a moment of joy
and I thank you, Fran Sbrocchi -
Excellent as always. Love how you use a fairy tale theme for it.
-
That was lovely, thank you.
-
[Addendum added in response to a reader’s question about whether the poem was mine, or the photographer’s. It’s mine. Also, I’ve revised this a bit since first posting, to strengthen the verbs.]
Mage: no, I’m not familiar with this person. Link?
Vernon, Fran, Cathy & Nenequesadilla: I’m so glad you liked this. It was one of those half-conscious gifts from the ether — just, almost, asleep, and then that insistence that I must turn on the light & pick up the notebook — -
Lovely poem. The rhythm is wonderful, especially in the final stanzas. Thank you for sharing this!
-
More questions than answers, but so thought provoking!
-
I enjoyed all of this poem, particularly the last three stanzas.
-
wow!! i was all set to see like “henry wadsworth longfellow” or some thing following that one… excellent
-
Great read, both playful and poignant.
-
I read earlier in the week and this is a stronger strong version.
My favorite line: “with its stiff strands of grey” and my distinct pleasure in not reading “silky gold”. -
I love the rhythm here and the way the questions lead the reader
-
**just, almost, asleep, and then that insistence that I must turn on the light & pick up the notebook *** I’m glad you did. This is a lovely poem.
-
I love the look of this poem. It’s like a stairway leading down into the heart of you!
Leave a Reply