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Open Poetry #48
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jwesley
Member Rara Avis
since 2000-04-30
Posts 7563
Spring, Texas

0 posted 2013-07-04 08:44 PM


Annabelle, Annabelle
(from Faces of Love)


I was down in
St. Louis Cemetery No.1
the other night, when the moon
was fogged by cloud,
everything was wet from rain,
frog chorus' were tuning
for the night's competition
and the line of souls outside
Marie Laveau's tomb
seeking dispensation for lives
they wished they had lived differently,
wove in and around, before and behind,
the tombs and crypts and graves
confined in one-square block
of New Orleans history.

I was there for dispensation
of another kind,
a potion,
a blood-red liquid
that would sway the heart
of Annabelle Lapierre,
that lily of the bayou,
the swamp fox that had coyed
her slender, supple body
beneath my skin,
into my soul,
until every breath I took
was scented with her.

I wanted a potion
to make her love me,
as deeply as I
who am so enraptured -
or the freedom,
the release of my soul,
from the
grasp of her.

The line of souls
smiled knowingly,
pointing, or nodding my way,
slipping aside a little
so I could prostrate myself
before the tomb
of the Queen.

When I awoke,
I was lying
on the fresh turned soil,
stretching body length
from a simple
granite stone
standing upright in the ground
engraved with -

Annabelle Lapierre Roberts
Beloved Wife
Born ~ June 16, 1943
Passed ~ January 4, 2013

You were the soul
of my soul,
Heart of my own,
the breath of my love,
and I Grieve
until I'm with you
again.



Annabelle . . . Annabelle

Mine, is not a life
anymore.

© wesley james beard, jr.
july 2013



© Copyright 2013 Wesley James Beard, Jr. - All Rights Reserved
Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354
Listening to every heart
1 posted 2013-07-05 12:57 PM


James,

thank you, my friend, for the read.
It held me.


OwlSA
Member Rara Avis
since 2005-11-07
Posts 9347
Durban, South Africa
2 posted 2013-07-05 04:21 AM


Jimmy, I gather you wrote this for a friend, imaginary or flesh and blood, though my guess would be flesh and blood.  What an exquisite gift of your heart and your soul for your friend, real or otherwise!  Your poetry is always beautiful, but this is you at your very best.  It scrunched up my heart into little bits.  

Owl

JerryPat2
Member Laureate
since 2011-02-06
Posts 16975
South Louisiana
3 posted 2013-07-05 08:02 AM


I understood the mood and the place, having been there many times. This is just superb writing. Your thoughts and emotion seeps through every line.

~*~ If they give you lined paper, write sideways. ~*~

Kit McCallum
Administrator
Member Laureate
since 2000-04-30
Posts 14774
Ontario, Canada
4 posted 2013-07-05 03:15 PM


Beautifully written James. The lines flowed so smoothly and I enjoyed the strong visuals in this from beginning to end. Very much enjoyed!

Best wishes,
/Kit

Marchmadness
Member Rara Avis
since 2007-09-16
Posts 9271
So. El Monte, California
5 posted 2013-07-05 05:49 PM


Dripping with sadness. So heartfelt and beautiful.
                             Ida

JamesMichael
Member Empyrean
since 1999-11-16
Posts 33336
Kapolei, Hawaii, USA
6 posted 2013-07-06 09:05 PM


Finally chosen words...James
Margherita
Member Seraphic
since 2003-02-08
Posts 22236
Eternity
7 posted 2013-07-08 11:37 AM


So very intense, dear Jimmy! It really tugs at my heartstrings. Masterfully rendered.

Margherita

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