(Inspired by all 4 images)
Broken
The city’s walls, breached by invaders
domino-tumble, and the attackers come
with spears, or swords, or guns, or bombs—
it could be anywhere, any time
there was a gate,
a garden green, red, yellow,
an apple tree, or maybe pomegranate? Citron.
Olive. Oak. Blue skies turned ash-grey.
Perhaps there is no garden. The gate opens
to sea-cliffs, forests, palm trees, desert sands—
but there is heartbreak and heartache,
and ghosts who wander through the rubble of what was.
For Day 5 of Paul Brooke’s Poetry Month ekphrastic challenge. Today’s images inspired some wonderful poems. You can see the art and read the poems here
Yesterday and today: Merril's historical musings 
The imagery allowed me to create a mental picture. I also felt a sense of your love for history. FYI: Images not shown.
Hi Frank. Thank you. I’m pleased you enjoyed the poem and could visualize something. If you click where it says “here,” you should see the images. 🙂
There are 4 images for each day, and I indicate which ones inspired my poem.
Ah ha … thanks
🙂
Merril, you made me feel the sadness in contrast to the color and imagery of what once may have been (stanzas 2 and 3).
Thank you very much, Marian!
The domino image was what struck me too. I like how you make it into a symbol of war and destruction. The gate and garden is such a poignant image too.
Thank you!
I thought of city walls tumbling down as soon as I saw that image.
It’s a really good image.
Oh, this poem is a knife in the heart. Cry for our broken world . . .
Thank you very much, Liz! 💙
You’re welcome, Merril!
Over and over again…(k)
Indeed.
Amazing what you took from those pics, Merril.
It seems like an omen poem
…. A poemen.
Thank you so much, Resa!
Oh! This time I went over and perused the pics first, then read your poem.
Thank you!
“it could be anywhere, any time” – yes, indeed
Thank you, Derrick. Sigh.
And isn’t that how memory works, sometimes? This or that remembered, jumbled between events. Lovely!
Playing catch-up since electricity has returned!
Thank you so much, Dale.
I’m glad your electricity is back.
I’m doing a quick catch up before getting back to cooking and cleaning. 🙂
My pleasure.
So am I!! We’re celebrating Easter on Monday at my sister’s. Trying to get as many people together is not easy when one works here, the other there…
I hope you have a wonderful day!
It’s hard here, too. We all live in the Philadelphia area–except our older child–but in different directions and some don’t drive.
Thank you. It’s been productive and lazy at the same time! Bummer re your oldest!
A bummer for me in that I don’t get to see them as often, but they do seem to live in the perfect place for them–western Massachusetts.
Yeah, I bet. My sisters, mother and I all live close. My kids are both a 15-20 minute drive away. I would be at a loss if we were further.
Oh, that’s nice. Our daughter is about a half-hour drive away. Siblings all live in Pennsylvania, but only one in Philadelphia. The rest are further away. And my mother-in-law is about a 2 1/2 hour drive away.
Half an hour is not too bad. It’s hard to imagine, for me, people living so far! My sister and brother in law-are-looking for a place in the Eastern Townships. For me, that would be anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes away (which is not too bad).
No, it’s not too bad. I’d love it if younger child was a little bit closer.
We always talk about having a compound where we’d all have our own houses. I love that, but it will never happen.
I bet you would.
That would be the coolest! Highly unlikely here, as well… 😏
Bewitching verses🥺🤩
Thank you very much, Jude! 😊