Saturday, February 7, 2009

A Sonnet of Gratitude



Photo: 'The Witness'


For disembodied people that I love
Who wrap yourselves around me every day
That send yourselves upon the wings of doves
Into this magic place in which we play
You've catapulted me to higher spheres
To places I had no idea were there
Have challenged me in ways to face my fears
And look into the mirror if I dare
Your voices touching somber notes untrue
And softly coaxing honesty within
A transformation, seeing something new
New eyes and ears, a higher kind of yen.
My heart is open now in gratitude
For grace and beauty your hearts have imbued.




32 comments:

Noelle Dunn.... A Poet in Progress said...

"magic play in which we play"....I love that feeling... nice poem. :)

jaz said...

Cat, I love this! And it was so rewarding (necessary?) to read this perspective now, after catching my breath from the week I've had in the "magic place where we play"!!!!

(I have to confess it took me two reads--on the first, I read "disembodied" as a verb-- Which would have been a very different poem. :))

Catherine Vibert said...

elle-Thank you!

Jennifer-Big LOL! I just read it your way and I see now the pitfall of which you speak! I think I should rewrite it. Thank you!

Catherine Vibert said...

Jennifer- I changed the first word... :-P

John Salmon said...

Lovely words Catherine, they paint a picture in my mind. You are an artist with words whereas I am just a humble artist with paint. Wish I could do both. Good luck with your adventure into watercolour. I hope you are prepared for a lifetime of struggle and reward in equal proportions. It's a fascinating pursuit which will be richly enhanced with your pallete of beautiful words.

John Salmon said...

Whoops! Sorry that should have been palette.

Catherine Vibert said...

Hi John, Great to have you here, and thank you so much for your kind words! I got a late start in life for painting, didn't start until my 40's, used to do more oils and oil pastels. Now I've discovered watercolor, and the thing I love most is its uncertain behavior! It's like creating something with an unseen partner that has mind of its own. You have masterfully tamed that partner, whereas I am still the slave to it. I'm very inspired by your work.

Khaled KEM said...

"And look into the mirror if I dare"

That's say it all. I like poems that go deep into the inner self, try to discover and understand it and yours is definitely one of those.

Sarah Hina said...

And you give as much as you're given. That's the beauty of this circle. We can all learn, share, and grow. It's amazing what can be done from a distance! :) Maybe because, in some way, we're more true when allowed that room to stretch and shine.

Lovely, heartfelt poem, Cat. It offers such warmth. :) And a beautiful photo!!

Catherine Vibert said...

Khaled-Thank you, that is my favorite kind of poetry, and why yours is so attractive to me.

Sarah-Thank you dear friend. And do you see the face in the photo? ;-) (upper left)

Karen said...

This is a lovely tribute. These disembodied people...in this magic place we play...

You have truly captured this place and expressed what I believe many of us feel. Very nice.

Geraldine said...

This is breathtakingly beautiful. Your words touched my heart, the photo amazing! Wonderful work Cat.

qualcosa di bello said...

what an awesome expression of our blogworld!!! brava, cat!!

Anil Sawan said...

unbelievable!!!! Catherine, first i thought of commenting on the beauty of your words. then i read the comments and ur replies.. and then i saw you talkin about a face in the photo and i enlarged the foto and checked... its amazing!! matches too well to your words.. its like a bonus to the reward :P

thnx for those words.. its amazing to know you!

Sarah Hina said...

Wow! :) No, I didn't notice the face. I love how subtly present it is, though, on second look. And benevolent. Sometimes, we need to search a little harder to find life's true treasures. :)

Beautifully done, Cat.

Linda S. Socha said...

I love this . It is incredibly insightful and really multileveled while also being uplifting....It reminds me of a lovely waltz with a bit of something else thrown in...like the first dance at current weddings. I read it over and over. Love it catvibe.
Linda

Fida said...

Me too, had to read the comments first before I saw the face in the photo – magic! And that changed the meaning of the poem for me. You have an imagination without borders:)

JR's Thumbprints said...

Sounds like a modern day Emily Dickinson. I can tell you spent some time with this poem and its structure.

Karen said...

I just came back to read again and saw the face (after you told in the comments). This adds another level to the poem. The picture is perfect. Picture perfect. Hmmm...sounds like a title... LOL

Catherine Vibert said...

Note on the photo. That 'Buddha' in the sky, is actually an image of a fountain that I have. He has starred in many of my photoshop collages over the years. I treated myself to him several years ago for my birthday. Hummingbirds are extremely attracted to him, and perch on the little tufts of 'hair' (snails?) to get in line to sit on the lotus that gurgles out the water, and drink. Perhaps someday I'll share a haiku I wrote about that...

Catherine Vibert said...

Karen, Geraldine, QDB, Linda, JR, Sawan, Karmanna, Fida, Sarah, Khaled, John, Jennifer and Elle, you have all made my day with your responses. Big warm St. Valentine's cyberhugs to you all.

Gledwood said...

Did you write that yourself? That's amazing!

Cynthia said...

What a lovely sonnet, and I feel
the same way. It is magical here!

Anonymous said...

I think the greatest treasures are those invisible to the eye but found by the heart... and this post captures that beautifully

K.Lawson Gilbert said...

Hey Cat - please forgive me for not chiming in sooner. I am suffering with a tendon problem in my right hand. I was late getting around to everyone's site this go round! It is so hard to type...

This poem is richly woven and finely spun. I love the sentiments here and I share them with you whole heartedly. <3

Catherine Vibert said...

Gledwood, Yes I did! :-)

Paul, and that is why I love blogging so much. We get right to the soul of each other...

K! I am so sorry to hear about your tendon. It is understandable why you would need to take a break from blogging and take care of that arm! I send you healing to your arm.

Cynthia, Gledwood, K, Paul, I cyberhug you all. Happy Valentine's week.

Vesper said...

For disembodied people that I love
Who wrap yourselves around me every day


Yes, we all have those and our hearts are tremendously rich for that.

Beautiful poem and photo, Cat.

Catherine Vibert said...

And you are one of them Vesper. A big hug to you.

Anonymous said...

Yes, that the highest gift we give each other.

Thank you for the generosity of your gift.

Catherine Vibert said...

Thank you Jason. :-) Cyberhugs to you.

Sameera Ansari said...

Awww that was sweet!Great pic to go with it :)

Catherine Vibert said...

Thanks Sameera-and a big hug to you!

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