A Sestina for Spring

          Isn't it lovely to be Poetry Friday?  A big thank you to Anastasia Suen, our host today at Booktalking!

         Last Friday, Doraine Bennett at Dori Reads shared about the sestina poetry form, so delightful!  Thanks for reminding me about it, Dori!  I have introduced this form to my students in the past and written a few, so was inspired to try again.  Here is my attempt:

Life’s Questions

In the early hours peace

spreads within like rays of sunshine.

Admiring all things yellow,

I lounge at my window

eating bread, butter, eggs—so satisfying.

I am named “Morning Woman”.

Also lurking here—another woman

who flirts occasionally with both peace

and war, and for her, it is satisfying

only when lemony sunshine

streams through her window,

and color emerges brightest yellow.

The lure of gold is brightest yellow

which compares to the smile of a woman

and all feel the world springs open a window

to feelings abounding of peace.

While basking in the sunshine

my own vision emerges as satisfying.

In fact, it is such a satisfying

sight, seeing that gloss of yellow

spread out into the room, the sunshine

is mourned by myself as a woman

who in my heart misses peace

with life.  Yet, I still search at the window.

I try to call out the window;

only see my yearning reflection as a woman

despite the honeyed sunshine

which works to bless a satisfying

life.  And then the yellow,

now brassy, shatters the peace.

I am shocked that this peace

was so fragile, and turn again to the window,

search again for what I believed was calming yellow,

those streaks that paint the woman

whom I felt led a life so satisfying,

on stage and gloried, backlit by sunshine.

Go red instead of yellow, crazy woman!

Quit looking for peace and give up all your satisfying

ways.  Outside that window, other colors make up sunshine.

©Linda Baie, 2013

photo credit: tricky (rick harrison) via photopin