(a Mayberrie poem)
.
The light was getting low
as she hurried past the river
but wildflowers made her stop,
their colors painting up
the sloping banks.
She picked a dozen blossoms
to spread around her pillow
and in the dusk
their petals glowed
like the setting sun
as it fired up the trees.
And so she finally slept
that night,
sending him her dreams.
.
He camped downstream
a hundred days away
where the river roared
through deep-sculpted stone.
His men saluted, headed south
and he prepared to follow
but a flash of colors
made him pause –
wildflowers were tumbling
in the river’s froth
and as the dawning sun
was shining through the trees
a dozen blossoms splashed the banks
and landed at his feet.
.
© 2012, 2017 Betty Hayes Albright
Dream blossoms swept down to the lover in the stream of Life!
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Thanks for all the wonderful comments today, Granbee. 🙂
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Oh, how romantic. I love that she slept with all the blossoms on her pillow! And he found them!! Getting very into this story….Love, Linda
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Thank you, Linda !
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Such a romantic tale…loved it.
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Thank you, Charlie!
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Could be a short film.
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Hmmmm – wonder who I could get to play the parts….!?
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Ahhh, Betty–I can never get enough of this stuff! Some ‘specially great lines: “colors painting up the sloping banks”, “petals glowed…sun…fired up the trees”, “she slept…and sent to him her dreams”–and then he sees the “flash of colors”…the “blooms were tumbling in the river’s froth”. It’s all so spectacularly vivid and visual–and I can even here the river. So great–this is really your forte, my friend and sister of the sea (and all things romantic)!
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Caddo, thank you, as always. 🙂 Not sure it’s my “forte”, but it’s where my heart seems to be!
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Well, Caddo beat me to it, because I am also in awe of such lovely phrases and lines, Betty..I won’t repeat them all, but am in agreement with her choices. This is just lovely, very visual and beautiful imagery; a dreamy romantic tale~ 🙂
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Thank you Lauren, once again, for your nice comment! 🙂
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I’m so tired, Betty, that I am past moving, but I just read this. The idea of wildflowers tumbling out of her dreams into the river to wash up at his feet as the war continues and he prepares to follow his men is romantic and filled with suspense and the pain of separation all at once. Your Mayberrie poems are so wonderful they are unusual wildflowers covering a hillside with color while ignoring the human limitations of time and space to light up this reader’s universe with sunshine so intense it lets me hold on to all of my old illusions. Oh, can you ever write!
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Thomas, I’m honored that you left such an uplifting comment, in spite of being so tired. Your feedback is greatly appreciated, and always gives me impetus to keep on writing.
I hope you’ve had some rest and are feeling well today. My thoughts are with you and Ethel – a lot!
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That was so beautiful and I saw every thing that happened in my mind! So evocative, so dreamy so beautiful!! Thank you .
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Thank you for reading and commenting, Willow! (Sorry I’m so far behind on blog reading – as usual – but hope to visit your site soon. 🙂 )
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Oh wow, Betty! Please, please publish these Mayberrie poems. They are just so beautiful. I would love to have them on my Kindle… x
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Angela, thanks for your encouragement! I’ve looked into publishing on Kindle, but it seems to be more complicated than I have the energy for right now. The formatting required sounds rather technical, especially for anything that’s not written in ordinary prose (the line breaks, etc…..) But maybe I’ll take the challenge one of these days. 🙂
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I’m sure the poetry angels will bring someone across your path at the right time to help. In the meantime, I’ll just be patient 😉
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You paint a romantic picture, Betty…
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Glad you liked it, Lindy Lee 🙂
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Now I will proceed into my day with a smile on my face.
There is such a sense of innocence in this that I find delightful.
David
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David, thank you so much – I’m glad you sense the innocence.
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Good to know that we shall one day be able to see Mayberrie in its full splendour.
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Ben, hopefully. Not sure about the “splendour” part, but at least maybe it’ll be comprehensive. Or comprehensible? (When it finally gets put together, I’m thinking of publishing it on Kindle – if I can figure out how to format it. The instructions sound complicated, to this computer dummy!)
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Beautiful how the mutual admiration of flowers dispelled the distance between the lovers. What could be more romantic? Lovely poem!
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Thank you again, Diane!
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