Wednesday, December 22, 2010

The Fall from an Almost Empty Nest

(Here)
            "And now for something completely different..."  ~Monty Python

Gravity seems weak, but weaker still here--
     is his grip.  I'm free-falling toward the stars.

     Minutes hail from the rails of the clock face,
     while my boys find time to hand out blue cigars.

     The air? It is thin enough to drink here,
     where the horizon falls away to give me view.
     My girls stop playing for a moment, or a decade,
     to pen an honest analytical review.

     The atmosphere gulps in another year here,
     while paper dolls are decomposing in the lawn.

     I write in crayon on the moon I find eclipsed here,
then fall to watch the majesty of dawn.

~Mari Nichols Haining 

        It's another One Shot Wednesday.

10 comments:

  1. Great imagery tumbling from one metaphor to the next. For me the most vivid were the paper dolls decomposing. I know that nearly empty nest and it's easy to fall up. Well penned. Happy holidays. Gay @beachanny

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  2. Children have a way to make your imagination grow! ..smiles..

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  3. Well get a load of you. Nifty trick, this! From the weak gravity and the thin air which barely seem able to hold this bunch, to the absolutely deliciously written last four lines, this just made me perk and smile.

    And, "blue cigars"?" Get out of town. What do blue cigars mean? Does it matter? :-)

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  4. Wow. I've wandered through more OSW posts this week than ever before and am very impressed with what I've read.

    Thanks for the reading my contribution and for the feedback.

    @Fireblossom Blue cigars: a not-so-obvious reference to my eldest child, who just had his first son (and my first grandchild).

    You're all great. Thanks for getting it.

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  5. Wonderfully written poem. Sounds like mom has much to be proud of! Love the line "paper dolls are decomposing in the lawn" Awesome visual. Happy Holidays!

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  6. Oh my goodness! Congratulations, gramma!!! You must be over the moon. I would be.

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  7. thanks for the blue cigars reference...and congratulations on that one...this was a really good read and packed with so much...i also loved the paper dolls too...all the best pete

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  8. Really enjoyed this one.
    Like most, I agree "paper dolls decomposing in the lawn"--just fantastic.
    "I write in crayon on the moon"--very, very cool. Great ending lines!
    Thanks for sharing

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