Get Your Premium Membership

Bottlebrush and Greyhound

There are times
when I long to move
beyond the edges of myself
as when, this morning, alongside 
the power station fence,
I passed under a red cloud 
of bottlebrush flowers
dripping nectar in a frenzy
of birds feeding on the sticky
clusters overhead,
too high for me to reach 
and plunge my hand
deep into the pure joy 
of that crimson feast.

And when a greyhound,
let loose from its leash, 
ran past me with such speed 
and grace, I longed to be 
its stride, the power propelling 
it across the grass 
and into the distance, turning
in the wide arc 
of its own happiness.
I would have given anything
to dissolve into its bounding
freedom, undone from my leash
of old age and the slow shuffle
of aching feet. 
There are times 
when I long to move
beyond the edges of myself,
if only for a moment.

Copyright © | Year Posted 2024




Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.

Please Login to post a comment

Date: 4/24/2024 5:28:00 AM
Hello Paul, I felt a profound sense of longing for liberation and transcendence. The imagery of the bottlebrush flowers, dripping with nectar as birds frenzy overhead, evoked a visceral yearning to break free from the confines of the self and immerse in the pure joy of nature's abundance. I loved how in these moments, you have captured the universal longing to transcend one's limitations, if only for a fleeting moment, and experience the boundless expanse of existence. - Blessings, Daniel
Login to Reply
Willason Avatar
Paul Willason
Date: 4/25/2024 6:26:00 AM
As always Daniel a thoughtful, sensitive and almost forensic summary....my gratitude for the time you kindly give to this and my other poems in reading and providing such informed commentary. Sincere thanks.

Book: Radiant Verses: A Journey Through Inspiring Poetry