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Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Building a Rainbow to Caliban, in Seven Steps

1. Red-eyed, not weary, we feed
on the rarefied
aerial leavings of gruntled clouds.

2. An Orange gap carves out when
the gobbling is done,
and strings are strung tight across that lap.

3. These six wires grate full Yellow
hymns into fine crumbs,
sifting down through curious weather.

4. The suppler notes land to Green
and moisten stretched tongues
on mannered ferns eager to praise sing:

5. Of powder Blue complexions,
jays abandoning
spent wings to totter off at twilight,

6. In search of Indigo fins
and shallow pools where
they might paddle up enough courage,

7. To ask the Violet sky
to stay its blushing
hues, so he'll never be wak'd again.

Francis Scudellari

3 comments:

Unknown said...

This one is lovely! You must publish a collection of poems- you write so well!

Francis Scudellari said...

Thanks Smita. I promise to try! :)

Dr Sock said...

Using the colors of the rainbow to structure your poem is a great device. I love the images and the word play is fun -- e.g., "wires grate full Yellow
hymns into fine crumbs".

My favorite stanza: Indigo.

Very nice!