Melancholy Brevity

                    "The Lovers' Boat" Albert Pinkham Ryder 1881


Beneath a heart sick moon
love swims in a briny sea
dreaming of rescue.

~o~

Patches of moon and star stiches
quilt midnight into melancholy.
Tear stained dreams wait for sunrise.

~o~

I listen to the rain
outside my window
drowning stars and
wonder if wishes can swim.

©Susie Clevenger 2015


Revisiting:

Comments

brudberg said…
so much can be said in few words.. I used to start with twitter poetry, but not too active any longer.
Maude Lynn said…
Oh, this is beautiful!
Grace said…
Love the imagery of each one specially the last one ~
Anonymous said…
Beautiful all but the last one...sigh
Unknown said…
I really enjoyed the theme of drowning mood in this. It really helped define the emotion.
kaykuala said…
How one yearns for wishes to be true. Perhaps praying hard may make it. It has a way of getting it to become true! Great lines Susie!

Hank
Jim said…
"drowning stars and wonder if wishes can swim" reminds me of a book I read last week for our ship's book club project, Everything I Never Told You by Celeste NG>
It was about a teenager who drowned herself. We were in disagreement about whether it was a suicide or an accident. She had never learned to swim. I thought accident.

Our cruise was on the Emerald Princess out of the Port of Houston. It was sooo nice to not be flying for a change.
..
Anonymous said…
These are just beautiful, Susie. You really have a gift for these--lovely and succinct. Thanks. k.
Anonymous said…
Indeed. Such gorgeous melancholy.
Gail said…
How can so much sadness fit into so few words? In this case sadness is very beautiful.
Laura said…
you've described sadness so well… your poem blooms like a fragile blossom.
Margaret said…
Adore the first one… makes me think of the moon's reflection in the water … representing a heartsick love.
Hannah said…
I love the likening to that of a quilt and your closing line about swimming wishes...lovely as always, Susie!
Other Mary said…
Beautiful! I love the quilting imagery in the second.
Unknown said…
Wonder if wishes can swim... I think so!