Author Information
Turning to Light
Drenched in wind,
clinging and luscious,
I hear rumors that it was
not all wildfire and rampage
after all,
that there is so much,
so much more to this show
and it can all awaken
in the prayerlight of dusk
and whatever seemed so
serious out there
is now smoke
like each decadent pink
cloud gently swallowed
by the dark.
Just a speck of faith
and the clownish day
steps out of its
costume and the
Otherworld appears
and what waits in the calm
is something truly living
and dripping and
ravenous with light
like the red hibiscus
just learning to give,
like the Earth loving
itself to sleep.
Patricia Joan Jones
I have been reading
I have been reading Patricia's poems for about four years, but still, each new poem she posts is an event, and a verbal mechanism for generating a sense of awe and wonder. And in this poem, she creates a phrase that resonates in such a deeply personal way that I had to read it a couple of times to make sure I was reading it right: the prayerlight of dusk. I have been reading poetry for over half a century, and I have read some very excellent phrases (although far less than the number of poems I have read), and prayerlight of dusk is one of those I shall never forget. At this late stage of my life, I can even pray that I shall die, when the hour comes, in the prayerlight of dusk. The depth of meaning in that phrase is as great as the thunderclap, two thousand years ago, in Vergil's phrase, "Cum Juno . . ." in the first book of the Aeneid.
If I may be anecdotal, even gushingly personal . . . I first saw the prayerlight of dusk in 1976, twice, in moments that were far more powerful than just watching a sunset. In the last couple of weeks, in the midst of severe bodily illness, I have been blessed to "reconnect" with my past in ways that are more significant to me than I would have thought, as if coming full circle, and the apex of that process is that phrase for which, Patricia, I will always be grateful.
Starward
Coming from a connoisseur of
Coming from a connoisseur of poetry and an astute architect of language, I'm wildly honored that you connected in such a significant way with a phrase that I did intend to be a cornerstone of my expression. That it awakened landmarks in your life is particularly gratifying. Thanks to your very moving and beautiful feedback, I can call this a success.
Huge appreciation!