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Open Poetry #37
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Suddenly One Sunday
| Open Poetry #37 |
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Suddenly One Sunday |
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OwlSA Member Rara Avis
since 2005-11-07
Posts 9347Durban, South Africa 
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SUDDENLY ONE SUNDAY January 1993 Sleek, silver-grey spirits curving with an easy grace in patterned arcs bucking through the billowing sapphire-blue, sporting with cloud-white horses of the sea, riding the white-fringed waves in immeasurable delight, - the stuff of surfers’ dreams - gliding underwater to surface far ahead and gambol freely once again. We gazed and gazed, and tasted your elation upon our tongues, as tens upon tens upon tens of you slid into view, leaping and looping past us in dolphin delight, blood-brothers of Shelley’s skylark, putting time and work and pettiness into perspective, and revelling in your rapturous games. Is it silly to have felt your call to us, mere earthbound admirers, standing hand in hand, transfixed, in wonder, on the shore, our speech hopelessly inadequate, as yet another band of playmates surged into sight? How envy floated away, and our spirits soared and mingled with yours, as you swept us into your frolic, now cleaving the cool, clear, undulating surface of the sea, now plummeting its depths. Your zest for life and fun, like Wordsworth’s daffodils, taught in moments what cannot be learnt from books or people in a lifetime, and we thank you. In years to come, the memory of your morning exultation, untinged with traces of human melancholy, will warm and elate the hearts of two who were privileged to have engraved upon their souls a glimpse of the beauty and spontaneity of your presence early one Sunday morning in summer. - Owl |
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| © Copyright 2006 Diana van den Berg - All Rights Reserved | |||
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Martie
Moderator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-09-21
Posts 28049California |
Diana They are wonderfully spirit-blessed beings and to see them at play is a priviledge I've also had! Thanks for writing of it.  |
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OwlSA Member Rara Avis
since 2005-11-07
Posts 9347Durban, South Africa |
Thanks Martie. Yes, they are. I still catch my breath when I think of what we saw. I too have seen them sometimes before and since, but never in such incredible numbers, I think it was at the time of the annual sardine run. There must have been hundreds of them, but they came in shoals with gaps in between. In re-reading my poem, I see that except for one line, I didn't bring that out at all, and even in that line, the numbers and the gaps weren't clear at all. We kept thinking we had seen the last shoal, but then there would be another and another and another. At the end, we stood and waited for a long time in case we missed any more. I think I should edit the poem one day when I have time as I was quite disappointed when I re-read it for that point. Strange that I didn't pick it up before after all these years. - Owl |
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Klassy Lassy Member Elite
since 2005-06-28
Posts 2187Oregon |
i love the power in this poem! That you didn't expound on the nature of the silver arcs leaves the reader to conclude his own images of the sea, for she carries many wonderful silver arcs...those coming from the sky as well. This is so beautifully expressive of the amazing movement and sense of spirit in the sea. So glad I fould this!  ~ Karen ~ |
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Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354Listening to every heart |
I found my smile again in reading this... thank you for that. |
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OwlSA Member Rara Avis
since 2005-11-07
Posts 9347Durban, South Africa |
Thank you Klassy Lassy for your exquisite response. Thank you Sunshine. I am honoured to have been of help to such a wonderful person. - Owl |
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The Lady Member Rara Avis
since 2005-12-26
Posts 7634The Southwest |
"Your zest for life and fun, like Wordsworth’s daffodils, taught in moments what cannot be learnt from books or people in a lifetime, and we thank you." You have an amazing talent Diana. This work is succinct and delghtful. |
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OwlSA Member Rara Avis
since 2005-11-07
Posts 9347Durban, South Africa |
Thank you kindly, Kate. - Owl |
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StevenS Senior Member
since 2005-09-21
Posts 945L. A. (Lower Alabama) |
I was missing you Owl so I went to the archive and found this one. I'm so glad I did, I could almost smell the salt air. :-) |
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Ratleader
since 2003-01-23
Posts 7026Visiting Earth on a Guest Pass |
I know that they don't really appear in the way that they do, at the perfect time and place to say things to us....but somehow that's exactly what they do! ~~(¸¸¸¸ºº> ~~(¸¸¸¸ºº> ~~(¸¸ ¸¸ºº> ~~~(¸¸ER¸¸ºº> |
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OwlSA Member Rara Avis
since 2005-11-07
Posts 9347Durban, South Africa |
Thanks, Steven! That is very sweet of you. Glad you were on the beach to see them! - Owl |
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Marge Tindal
since 1999-11-06
Posts 42384Florida's Foreverly Shores |
Diana~ 'our spirits soared and mingled with yours, as you swept us into your frolic' Ah, yes ... I have known this moment~ Thank you for reminding me~ *Huglets* ~*Marge*~ ~*The sound of a kiss is not as strong as that of a cannon, but it's echo endures much longer*~ |
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OwlSA Member Rara Avis
since 2005-11-07
Posts 9347Durban, South Africa |
Yes, Ratleader, you are so right! I try hard to know that they don't, but never succeed because I know that they do! - Owl |
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OwlSA Member Rara Avis
since 2005-11-07
Posts 9347Durban, South Africa |
Thank you Marge. It feels good to be understood - a feeling that I know very well on this forum! - Owl |
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