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Celebrating Poetry

The poem for the month of  May is "The Limitation of Words" . . . . 

The Limitation of Words

 

 

Today I saw the snow descend

Beyond the window in my room;

I was poised to write but words eluded me.

 

It was warm inside as I looked out;

Elbows propped upon the desk,

A cup of tea aside my arm,

I watched the snowflakes fly

And tried, as best I could,

To convert my thoughts to words

And write them down upon the page.

 

The storm grew violent:

A universe in disarray

Expressed itself in tumult;

Despotic winds assaulted trees

As Death wandered through my yard.

 

I watched the world grow empty:

All that was alive died before my eyes;

The ground ceased to breathe

And lay entombed beneath the snow;

The howl of the wind

Was louder than thought,

Rendered words obsolete:

Meaning was made meaningless,

Expression denied a purpose.

 

I dropped my pen upon the desk

And emptied my tea in the sink;

There is no way to explain

The pallor and pain

Of the very last snow,

The final storm,

That sweeps through your yard

And writhes across your consciousness.

"The Limitation of Words" first appeared in Grim and Gilded, January, 2023. 

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