Sunday, February 10, 2013

Tempest



The storm swallowed the city
You were a beacon
Offering shelter
For customers who’d lost their way

I watched your lighted bar
Between my shutters
Distance insurmountable
Wind and snow not the only obstacles

I’d already consumed your spirits
Promises never fulfilled
Barely escaped whole
Betrayal bitter on my lonely tongue

Sorry is pitiful contrition
For the chasm you created
Loyalty meaningless
Savoring the ultimate victory

When he’d said, Tu l'aime,
You didn’t deny the accusation
Abstinence held promise
As did your final, sweet-wine kiss

Warmed by your radiance
I’m enticed to venture into
The pitch-dark night
Tasting your ripened lips on mine once more



I hope you're all dug out and safe from the storm, east coast friends. xo

71 comments:

  1. Wow!! Just about bedtime for tired old moi when this popped up and now I am wide awake!!

    I love the narrative! I was wondering where this was leading -and et voila!! A passionate love story against the odds - and all for a kiss! Fantastic!!

    You keep safe and warm too! take care
    x

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    1. Old Kitty, sorry to wake you up. ; ) I hope you've calmed down now. Glad you enjoyed it. It was a fun piece to write.

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  2. I agree with Old Kitty - ooh la la! Great story!

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  3. Awesome Theresa. Very amazing. I thought of you all weekend. I was talking to a cousin who lives in Boston Friday night and her electricity went out. Luckily she got it back at 5:00 am the next day. Then shoveled for 5 hours yesterday.

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    1. So hope you and your family are doing okay through it all.

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    2. Natalie, thanks for checking in. We lucked out--just mounds of snow, lots of shoveling. We kept our power. And bonus is we have no school tomorrow again!

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  4. Great piece! Love the images it evokes. Hope you are staying safe and warm up there. Wish I could send you some of our 90 degree weather...and you could send us a little of your cold.

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    1. Shelly, 90 degree weather is a distant memory. At this point, I just hope for 40 degrees to melt all this stuff!

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  5. Yikes, snow is not something I've ever had to worry about.
    May you get your 40+ degrees...

    Beautiful piece.

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    1. Thanks, Lynda! We have lots of mounds of snow to melt. And these roads are narrow from all this snow. We have another snow day tomorrow.

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  6. Lovely poem, Theresa! And hope you are dug out!

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  7. Susanna, thank you. We are! No school again today and it's supposed to be warm enough to keep melting.

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  8. I guess snow could entice me! maybe I even did that as a young one- thanks!

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    1. Izzy, sometimes one has to succumb to temptation even amidst a snowstorm.

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  9. This storm really slammed the Northeast, didn't it?! I'm STILL sore from shoveling. Glad you guys made it through okay!

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    1. Julie, yes it did. I was sore yesterday. I would've been sore today if I didn't leave the second round of shoveling to my husband.

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  10. Love the contrast of a killer storm and a killer relationship.

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  11. Oh that's lovely. It had a really nice feel to it, and the words sound very good together. Fab! Stay warm!

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    1. Jayne, thank you very much. I'm sitting nice and cozy in my house.

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  12. I love your poem! Boy you guys really got hammered :)

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    1. Michael, thanks. Yes, we got hammered. It's my second snow day home from this one!

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  13. Nice poem!

    Still digging out? That was quite a storm!

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  14. Beautiful piece. Wonderful flow and juxtaposition of contrasts. Even the image choice is perfect.

    I'm with Shelly, I could use a little of your cold. It's rainy here, but cool it is not.

    BTW, loved the Facebook vid of you and Milo. He looked so happy in the white stuff. My pup loves snow, but detests rain. You'd think being brought up in Seattle he'd have overcome that.


    ~VR Barkowski

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  15. I love a good story, and this qualifies.

    =)

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  16. Amazing piece, Theresa!!!!

    And hope you dig out soon! (We had a bit of a storm on Thursday with about 8 inches, but nothing like the east coast!)

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  17. Wow, beautiful and evocative writing. The storm mostly passed us by, only 4" and not much wind. Hope you're safe in MA and have power!

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  18. Awesome poem. I wish you clean sidewalks, non-icy steps, and a warm hearth.

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  19. Thanks, Carol! I need those wishes right about now!

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  20. Lovely poem....

    Keep safe and don't get too excited and shovel too much at once. :) Big snows can cause heart attacks, so do a little at a time...

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  21. Sharon, between my husband, son, and I shoveling, I didn't tax myself too much. It rained yesterday, which melted some of it. It's supposed to be in the 40s during the day all week. YaY! But I dread parking in Cambridge for my daughter's ballet later. There will be no place to fit the car between snow mounds at metered spots!

    I changed some ideas around, but this poem is a reaction from something that happens at the end of SS.

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  22. Hi Theresa .. I thought this was a snow story - then it dawned on me when I saw the picture ... wonderful poem though ...

    Let's hope it doesn't freeze too early and you'll be able to find an easy parking spot - early to rise I guess .. ie early to get there ..

    Reminds me of Stephen Tremp's Breakthrough scenario .. Boston covered in snow and murder!! Cheers Hilary

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    1. Hilary, I decided to save the picture for the end or I'd give away the ending!

      Luckily, it's been going up into the 40s, so the snow is beginning to melt. But I have to drive to the city of Cambridge this afternoon. It's going to be a challenge finding a parking spot while my daughter is at ballet!

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  23. Wonderful poem. We were lucky the snow passed us by. It's amazing to see all the photos of how much everyone out east got. Wow.

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    1. Christine, thanks. I can't believe how much we have either. It's been in the 40s, so it's melting, but the stuff is everywhere!

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    1. John, yes, it's a beautiful painting. Captured a perfect moment.

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  25. Lovely poem. And so appropriate for this stormy season when intimate passions bring comfort.

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    1. C Lee, thanks. I love the way you say said that. Are you a writer?

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  26. Mmmm. Love the snow. (I can say that because I don't have to shovel any.) Nice poem. ;)

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    1. Crystal, I remember snow being funner as a kid. Must've been when I didn't have to dig out, drive, or park in it.

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  27. Aww, such a bittersweet poem.
    We got snow too, but not as much as you guys! Wish we could get a driving ban and be sent home early!

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  28. Thanks for sharing! Glad you made it through the storm okay.

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  29. Fantastic story and poem. I miss snow, but not snowstorms.

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    1. Medeia, thank you. The snow is so pretty falling down, and then...

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  30. I liked the 'tu l'aime' twist on the more usual 'je t'aime', brings a love triangle into focus...♥

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  31. Great poem! I hope you didn't get too badly hit by the storm.

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  32. Susan, thank you. We did okay. Lots of snow, but we shoveled our way out!

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  33. If only every blizzard brought forth such lovely poetry.

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    1. Leslie, ha! Indeed. Mostly blizzards just bring shoveling.

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  34. Beautiful! Love all the imagery. I hope you have a snow blower for your new house. :o)

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  35. Well done Theresa , I really enjoyed your poetic tale. Hope it was a welcome break from shovelling snow.

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    1. Mary, thanks. Yes, it was a nice break to write poetry inspired by the storm than to shovel snow!

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  36. Wonderful imagery--I've never experienced a full on snowstorm but I imagine it to be both romantic and scary!
    Nutschell
    www.thewritingnut.com

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    1. Nutschell, thank you. It is both. Nicer to watch from afar than to drive through.

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  37. Really lovely, Theresa! I do hope you were able to keep warm and safe, cuddled up a fire with your family and, maybe, a glass of wine. We've been lucky here-- no snow, save for the mountains which are 1.5 away.

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  38. Samantha, our snow is rapidly melting, which is good when you have over 2 feet of snow. The piles to move it out of the way become monstrous!

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