In Vino Veritas ~ A Mother/Daughter Collaboration

 

‘Solitude, sometimes’

Alexandra Edwards

 

Vermilion Reflections

by Tessa Edwards

 

 For seven long winters

I carried your picture around

in an old damp suitcase

and now you will be here

on Monday, at noontime.

Is it you that I remember

in your navy blue raincoat

coloured against November?

Did we walk together

through the stench of the Metro

and sit amongst dead butts

in those infernal cinemas?

Now clothed in wispy

garments of solitude

I wait for you to come

on Monday, at noontime.

 

It is just the rusted sundial

in the parched garden

which warns me lightly

that I still exist in this

place that is so familiar.

I am stifled by the tedium,

and suffer from the carnage

of memories which burn

and sear the core of me.

But I wait, and bake bread

and gather herbs and fresh figs

for us to eat on Monday

at noontime.

 

The flame trees are in flower now,

the evening pink flamingos settle

on the shores of placid lakes.

The room is large and moonlit,

with soft carpets from the Orient.

There are pools below which appear

like clouds of polarised light,

and they dim and recede

when the sun sinks low

and calls in the lonely night.

Did you know that

I am quieter now,

and more melancholy?

Or that this garnet liquid

with a constellation of reflections

cradled in its silver chalice

is my only succour now

until I melt in you again

on Monday, at noontime.

 

Oh, yikes! Well, it’s done now. That is my entry for a writing/poetry contest. (Beani, darling, thank you for the inspiration.)  Oof, it was hard.  Frankly, I think I’d rather stand naked on that Gormley plinth in Trafalgar Square than subject myself – as I’ve just done – to the rigours of literary scrutiny in the arena of poetry.

Goodness gracious me! There are some truly phenomenal writers and poets out there in our Blogworld. My bloggy friend Nicky of Absolute Vanilla – an exceptionally talented writer herself – gave us the heads-up about a writing contest which runs from July 8^th until July 15^th hosted by Jason Evans at The Clarity Of Night. The premise is to write a story or poem of not more than 250 words based on the phrase In Vino Veritas (Truth in Wine).

I’ve just been reading through all the entries so far and I would highly recommend that you do so as well – it’s astonishing (and not a little scary) how high the standard is and it makes for some genuinely riveting reading.

Actually, those of you whose blogs I follow so avidly all stand right up there with the best of literary talent, so why don’t you give it a go too, folks?  There is still a chance for you to enter a piece of fiction or poetry yourselves.  The contest doesn’t close until 15^th July so it’s not too late and you have all weekend to compose your piece. G’on, you know you want to!  And it probably isn’t as terrifying as standing naked on a plinth, come to think of it.