who can confute the Buddha's words?
yet the line is redrawn as lineage
- each of us withholds
the vanished, and with a stick stir memories
prod pictures, till they surface again and again
or quite spontaneously rise - across pond and puddle
where leaves or paper boats trail before a breeze
keels cut down deep and in their wake
forms are frothed and re-conjured
there at anchor the smaller craft rock a lullaby
dripping pretty painted profiles in the contours
and all along the overhangs of river and stream
riparian hosts trail and dip with constancy, as pen to ink,
these words I draw of you from water

16 thoughts on “Water lines”

1. “and with a stick stir memories / prod pictures, till they surface again and again”…And it’s like this forever. Been to this space. Very touching poem.

   1. glad it resonated as I’m sure you know the way of water lines –

2. ” dripping pretty painted profiles in the contours ” – the way you used alliteration really enhances the picture you have painted with your words.

   1. thank you Mary – that peppery sprinkling of repeat sounds was quite spontaneous!

3. I love the image of the small boats rocking a lullaby….and what a poignant closing line!

   1. the sounds they make in harbour are so soothing – many thanks Sherry

4. This is incredibly stunning, Laura! 💜 I love the alliteration in “dripping pretty painted profiles in the contours.” 💜

   1. thank you =- it is an image I have from a photo I took – the alliteration was almost accidental 😉

5. The strength I love most in this poem is trying to imagine what to be seen in the water…. walking beside it… so many lines to love in your poem, but still more the images of walking beside that stream…

   1. I really like the understanding in your comment – there are always lines drawn in water from which we can create what we see

6. The endless and infinte presence of lines in the water. Always images, like lives, folding in upon themselves… beautiful Laura.

   1. Very nicely put Rob and many thanks

7. Interesting…to think about.
   Thanks

   1. Cheers!

8. Nicely done. A new word! I had to look up riparian!

   1. good how we expand our dictionaries this way – thank you

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