I Look Up
I look for her
on the tops of trees
I think she’d notice
that the poplar pods are empty
That they’re shaped
like baby tulips
cups for the mysterious
drinks that keep me small
and made her so big
My eyes search the unseen
and when I lose what I need
I know she knows
there are holes like portals
where things fall through
There are places of comfort
at the tops of trees
where the tulips turn like bells
but never ring
Where the lost and found mingle
but don’t tell their secrets
They hang like our childhood
just out of reach
_________Colleen Redman / Imaginary Garden with Real Toads
December 14th, 2015 12:07 am
This speaks for itself, so they really is not much for me to say, other then, I understand when loved ones move on.
December 14th, 2015 12:25 am
this is lovely, and poignant. thank you.
December 14th, 2015 3:03 am
Perfection.
December 14th, 2015 9:42 am
WOW! Another beauty!
December 14th, 2015 12:04 pm
Your ability to use words, like some use thread, weaving them in and out into a larger piece is so powerful. I love this, Colleen. It is beautiful.
December 14th, 2015 12:08 pm
Thank you so much. It’s hard to define such a feeling but it pretty much happened this way on a walk to the mailbox. Seems I can only poke but never penetrate the mystery of death and my hearts response to it.
December 15th, 2015 9:37 am
This is beautiful…I love the portals through the time barrier…
December 15th, 2015 11:14 am
The lines of tulips are bells that never ring.. and the safety of tree tops… I think of lost childhood… of a past that never comes back, and maybe also of injuries that will never heal… a great write.
December 15th, 2015 12:53 pm
I so love the search as you describe it, the sense of a story behind it and the wistful atmosphere created by all the details.
December 16th, 2015 7:04 am
Those trees are amazing.
This poem is so lovely in its searching, melancholy but not too sentimental. Really nice.
December 16th, 2015 12:46 pm
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January 25th, 2016 2:47 pm
Beautiful, mystical…just gorgeous. I especially love the portals where things can fall through. Wow!
July 2nd, 2020 8:40 pm
I especially love the line “Where the lost and found mingle/but don’t tell their secrets” That gives me both the shivers and a smile.