Wednesday, January 10, 2007

After a siesta

Hot air dreams on a cloud
Soaring red tailed hawk
Hungry over a winter desert
My daughter’s lips move
Ending heartache with a swoop

We have much to do
Hand in hand over shopping malls
Grocery stores
Big as a desert sky
Reflected in each other’s eyes

We must laugh and play
Improve the lies of night and day

We must tell them to each other
Uselessly as surrendered soldiers

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love this one, both for the personal references, and the references to Arizona, a place I've recently fallen in love with. So much to this one, Russell! It reads almost like a scene in a play!

Russell Ragsdale said...

Thanks Aurora! It is such a pleasure being here. I'm glad the sweeping sense of the desert came through for you. I'm also glad you sensed the drama inherent in interaction with the mother of one's grandkids. Thanks for the warm and wonderful comment.

Anonymous said...

I really like this. The imagery is wonderful "Hungry over a winter desert..." and I love this, "We must laugh and play, improve the lies of night and day." It really captures the emotions of the interactions so much that it puts me in the moment.

ozymandiaz said...

I found this quite a heady peace. Very personal. Intimate even yet in a very airy sense.
It also holds a bit of mysticism.

Russell Ragsdale said...

Thanks Louise! Yes I am again experimenting with the sonnet form - this time I finished with two couplets that parallel one another. The rhyming one took your fancy and I am rather glad. I was hoping it would do that. Thanks for the wonderful comment.

Russell Ragsdale said...

Thanks Ozy! This is another attempt to explore the nature of my relationship with my daughter. We are having a rather nice time together and I wanted to share some of those elements with you. The mysticism was intentional. Thanks, my friend, for the wise and wonderful comment.

Anonymous said...

I had a very special relationship with my dad. I could visualise myself doing just that.

Russell Ragsdale said...

Thanks gautami tripathy! My daughter was a special little girl and she is now a special young woman. This is true of you too, of course. Father/daughter relationships can be very special. Thanks for your special comment!