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The Sprigs and Spirit of Sistine -8

Transfixed by the thunderstorm of raining thorns
I taste the violet vapor that rises as smooth spirit
while my sensitive gaze garners generations of grief, 
for those that follow the Savior must suffer like the Savior
and so they shall, feel the iron of violent institutions
their sacrifice will be spectacular
amid emperors and paupers alike,
on my seat of Delphic dreams
divine light washes my fertile face
blond tresses wave from under the hood
of my cobalt cloak, my lap draped in glowing gold,
I hold unborn history in my hand,
my cherubs exhaust themselves
on the years foreshadowed...

J.A.B.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2017

Poem

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Leach Avatar
May 18, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Justin, this is breathtakingly mystical--like a vision unfolding in sacred mist. “I hold unborn history in my hand” is such a powerful image, and “thunderstorm of raining thorns” is unforgettable. You’ve given this figure a voice steeped in sorrow, radiance, and prophecy. The weight of faith and the beauty of burden are palpable in every line.
Bordner Avatar
May 19, 2025 at 2:34 PM
She is a relentless beauty of History's bloom...J.A.B.
Bangalee Avatar
June 25, 2019 at 1:39 AM
...divine light washes my fertile face blond tresses wave from under the hood of my cobalt cloak, my lap draped in glowing gold,....// superb expression
Bordner Avatar
June 27, 2019 at 7:00 PM
The Sibyl of Delphi is a magnificent portrait of mesmerized beauty. Michaelangelo reveals the sensuality of her entranced mind. I am very proud to have provided her a true voice of poetic sensuality, and I am also proud that the voice I created for her resonates with you Mahtab...J.A.B.
Breidenthal Avatar
September 19, 2017 at 10:43 PM
These are really so intriguing. "my sensitive gaze garners generations of grief " These are immensely emotional lines depicting the figures of the art. I'll never forget and always be enamored by your unique expressions - "unborn history" being one of them. Always, Laura
Bordner Avatar
September 24, 2017 at 6:02 PM
Yes Poetess, is that not the craft of Seers, to witness History in it's very conception. The comely Delphic Oracle is doing just that in Michelangelo's romantic rendition of her. I felt her foretelling the persecution of martyrs centuries before the coming of their Christ, making unequivocal allusion to the Roman Empire and it's penchant for criminal sport in the great Colosseum...J.A.B.
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