Friday, July 29, 2005

Form and Pattern

Must I bow again
To the clueless King
Whose sleepiness
To my needs
Contrasts his
Attention to
My flawed obeisance.

Form and pattern
Is boy girl boy girl
But not meaning.

Form and pattern is
This blotless morning,
Moist summer air,
Promising suffering
And brown grass;

Form and pattern is
Slow step by step
Of the lonely old
Woman who doesn’t
Want to die,
Walking in morning,
Wanting more of
Waning time.

Form and pattern is
Bowing to God
For this little dog,
This plate of fruit,
The hope I breathe
In fits and gulps,
But this is more
Than that.

11 comments:

Sue hardy-Dawson said...

This is lovely, I like the lines
'Form and pattern is
This blotless morning,
Moist summer air,
Promising suffering
And brown grass;' they give a grounded picture

Russell Ragsdale said...

Thanks Sue! I'm always trying to understand the things beyond and/or transcendent to form and pattern. Thanks for your helpful, insightful and always greatly appreciated comments!

Sue hardy-Dawson said...

I like the way nature repetes it's self like when you look at a leaf and see a little tree in its vains

Patry Francis said...

Very visual and moving. What more can you ask of a poem?

Russell Ragsdale said...

Sue, your awareness of patterns seems very visual. Is this the uniqueness that is the source of your wonderful poems?

Russell Ragsdale said...

Thanks Patry, for the nice words. Welcome to my site, your comments are greatly appreciated!

Russell Ragsdale said...

Hi Gama! I think my inspiration often comes from the sensation of being profoundly affected by what I see and feel. Of course there are questions, like, how can I better understand what I just experienced. Also, why do I seem to be alone in this experience. Additionally, the injustice in life is something that always has something interesting in it. Also, there is the fact that life seems so wordy and musical. Sometimes when that seems to stick out in my impressions, I feel it important to try and capture it so that I can share what I enjoy with others.

What is your inspiration?

gulnaz said...

reads like a prayer!
wonderful images there too!
excellent!
thank you also for your sweet words on my blog. :)

Russell Ragsdale said...

Thanks, Gulnaz! Yes, repetitive and musical things of a liturgical nature are acts of hope to transcend the pattern which creates them. I was getting that feeling pretty strongly as I wrote this. Thanks for the perceptive observations!

iamnasra said...

I am so amazing how you write..the images that this poem brings...potraying so many angles in ever corner a new image appear..

Russell Ragsdale said...

Nasra, thank you for noticing these changes! This is a poem about changes. My life is about us noticing them. The last change is about leaving form and pattern and finding what is always missing. I am glad to have you there with me!