For The Sunday Whirl poetry prompt: Wordle #96
http://sundaywhirl.wordpress.com/
Shadow Dance
Held in trembling hand,
candlelight scurries to give
birth to flickering imaginary
shadows which lack faces
yet, writhe and prance, dance
naked over and under
all glimpsed surfaces.
Hiding fear, she reaches
to grab whatever is needed,
then scuttles up steps
to slam root cellar door,
grateful, once again,
to leave that space
behind her.
Elizabeth Crawford 2/17/13
Source Note: Wordle words came from the song, Carpet Crawlers by Genesis with Peter Gabriel. It may be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7qRy5m4Z0o
The lyrics to the song can be found beneath the image in a drop down.
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I hope the candle didn’t go out as she slammed the door!:-) A vivid story poem.
Have been reading my old journal and found a bit about the root cellar under my grandmother’s kitchen. I have never completely lost my dis-ease of small, dark, musty places. Thanks Viv,
Elizabeth
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Spooky – I could hear the slam of the cellar door… Well done!
Spooky is a really good word for those kinds of spaces. Thank you Pearl,
Elizabeth
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Loved the opening lines .. much mystical effect 🙂
Thanks Nimue, I was also thinking of the lack of willingness we often encounter when rooting around in the cellar of our own souls.
Elizabeth
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LIke these lines:
dance
naked over and under
all glimpsed surfaces.
This was a difficult one for me. I could so clearly see that first stanza, but was totally blank after that. Think I’ll reserve the right to change it, when the door opens. Thanks Irene,
Elizabeth
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I was the same when I was younger.
Thanks Stan, unfinished basements still give me the creeps,
Elizabeth
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Exposure and vulnerability..that is what i see in the light here..not all light is good..although emerging from darkness is perhaps better?
Thank you so much Jae, and you are absolutely right on. I recently dreamed of being invited into a very dark cave, and hesitated until I awoke. But the images stayed with me, and I have decided to accept the invitation. However, I’m taking a flashlight, extra batteries, and several dragons with me,
Elizabeth
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What is there about root cellars that inspires fear and trembling? I know what you mean!
Whirling with Gary Soto
It may be because they slam into all of our senses at once, teasing some, overwhelming others? Or maybe because as a small child, when we all got together at grandma’s house and she needed to go down into the root cellar, all the aunties (7) would shooo us away and act like police guards, using their bodies to separate us from that dark pungent hole in the kitchen floor. Good question and thanks for visiting,
Elizabeth
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I’d be scared, too.
It’s good to know that my sense of uneasiness is so widely shared. Thanks for reading and commenting Laurie,
Elizabeth
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Sounds like a scary place! I don’t think I like it. But loved your write, made my heart pound!
Am so glad I live on the ground floor with no basement under me, lol. Thanks my friend, for reading and for writing that wonderful poem today,
Elizabeth
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Even not knowing where your list came from…I too delved into a darker space. One that I can only hope is visited less often then we would like to believe.
http://julesgemsandstuff.blogspot.com/2013/02/sunday-whirl-96-short-elfje-quad-wave.html
Haven’t got my story up yet. Can I borrow some of your dragons? I’ve been having some weird dreams of late myself. 🙂
Lol, I laughed when I saw your comment. The dragons go where they will, but when I asked inside, Tui immediately stepped forward. She’s a little bit of a thing, likes to giggle, and her name is short for Intuition. Let me know if you see her, she’ll probably introduce you to your own dragons. Thanks for stopping in Jules,
Elizabeth
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These words inspired spooky to me as well. You did a really excellent job setting up this scene and describing it.
Hi Peggy. To be honest, I like the first stanza, but the second one leaves me wanting something more. Means rewriting and that’s not my favorite chore, lol. Thanks for the visit,
Elizabeth
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It’s best to go down with someone else…what if the candle blew out?
But if no one else is around? And candles always blow out at the most inopportune moments. Thanks for reading and commenting Old Egg,
Elizabeth
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I could relate to this, Elizabeth, as a child I hated being in rooms with no light. My father used to say there was nothing to fear in the dark, it was the daytime when people were awake that I should be fearful. I didn’t buy it. Tense write.
Pamela
I never bought it either, Pamela. And I still use a nightlight. I’m no longer embarrassed to admit I’m a chicken, lol. Thanks for the visit,
Elizabeth
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This is fabulous, Elizabeth. You took me to a place of childhood fears. Those things stay with us forever, and your poem echoes the feeling. Well done!
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