Friday, December 29, 2023

One More Moon Poem as 2023 Comes to a Close

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Michelle Kogan for the last Roundup of 2023.

Wow, I can't believe we are on the cusp of a brand new year! I've got black-eyed peas and greens ready to go. :)

I've enjoyed my ArtSpeak: LIGHT year so much... and my One Little Word "Space"...and the release of my MOON book...so it's no wonder this week's poem led me to this particular piece of art and these bittersweet words. 

Thanks so much for reading...see you in 2024!




When Moon Sweeps Sky Clean of Clouds

just past the trees
mountains fade to shadowed heaps
sky is streaked with stars so bright, so deep
you want to weep for all you cannot keep:
for light, for peace
                               for nights like these

- Irene Latham

16 comments:

  1. There will never be too many moon poems, and this one is just right!

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  2. Love these bittersweet words, "you want to weep for all you cannot keep". As I sit with all of my children and grands in a cabin in the mountains, I think of ways to keep these moments. I am journaling with the 5 year old. And pondering a new word for 2024. Presence comes to mind with your poem.

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  3. Shadowed heaps…stars so bright- life so full of contrasts, joy and weeping coexist so often. Wishing you a New Year of light and peace.

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  4. The assonance in your poem is lovely, Irene. I'm always happy to continue to learn from you. May your 2024 be filled with "light,,, peace...nights like these."

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  5. Oh! This is SO bittersweet. Totally echoes the book, which I'm so glad I read, and fills me with both longing and complete awe for the present moment. Beautiful, Irene. Happy New Year!

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  6. Irene, I have grown more in love with the moon and all its variety this year, thanks to you and your beautiful moon poems and book. Your title and poem are magical, and I can't choose what I love the most about them, but for one are those long e's making it a joy to read.

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  7. What a beautiful poem! I especially love the sounds and the way the visual description transitions to the emotional ending. Happy New Year!

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  8. Well, I love all of those "eep" sounds. My favorite phrase is the "shadowed heaps." As you close out the Space year (and your year of the moon), here's to a lovely 2024.

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  9. I drove home from the store last night & stopped along a street to watch the moon rise. Yep, it's sorrowful as you wrote, "for all you cannot keep". It's a beautiful ending to your light poems, Irene! Thanks for bringing light to us so many times! Happy New Year to you & yours!

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  10. Good morning, Irene. Thank you for sharing your ArtSpeak poem that makes me swoon with delight. The pace and collection of words flow with emotion and imagery. It is a fabulous poem to end your work this year.

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  11. Thank you for a year of light, Irene. This beautiful poem will accompany me from 2023 into 2024 - sitting beneath our wide desert sky tomorrow night.

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  12. Wheeeeeeeee! Here we go on the trail of light you left us this year. Thank you so much. All those long ee sounds give me a feeling of longing. May we all find peace in 2024.

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  13. Bittersweet yet beautiful with a wee bit of comfort from that jeweled deep blue sky, thanks Irene. And yes to Linda above, let's find Peace in 2024!

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  14. Irene, as others have said, it is a bittersweet but very lovely poem. It touched my heart in so many ways. Thank you for sharing it here.
    Wishing you a happy, healthy 2024. xo

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  15. I'm swooning over this gorgeous poem. It's so lovely I think I'll copy it into my notebook. And maybe paint a picture for it.

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  16. Irene, I believe you wrote recently about the BITTERSWEET book and the bittersweet character--and this poem is the pledge of allegiance to bittersweet, lines we could stand up and repeat daily with our hands placed over our tender hearts. Happy New Year to you and yours!

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Your thoughts?