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Nocturne
By Rob Kistner | April 12, 2008
A brooding full moon, in image, verse, and spoken word
Author’s note: this piece does not expose a secret, but instead, it deals with the weight and burden of keeping dark disturbing secrets buried away.
Nocturne
•
hawk moon hangs heavy
in the damp night sky
bulbous moist pearl
rolling
in a cold chromium fog
wet slivers of cloud
smear themselves
across its face
irregular
like translucent sacks
of moonbeams
breathing
glassine billowing pillows
oozing
soaked with midnight
stars float and spark
glinting
dripping
shivering
frozen splintered crystal-tips
diamond chips
pinprick rips
in blackened space
they wink and wane
and flutter
shattered bits of silvered light
snapping here then not
behind the ghostly white
vapor that slithers
through the firmament
the world devoid of color
aglow in sterling grey
a negative of day
thick and chilled
filled with the sound
of stalking after-dark things
nocturne
the sorrowing hour
to lay bare your soul
in pale introspection
in grief of secrets
…
To hear poem read by author, click here
June 22nd, 2007 at 7:44 am
Beautifully descriptive of the nocturnal sky culminating in the darkly revealing ’sorrowing hour…laying bare…in grief of secrets.’
Very nice indeed, rob
June 22nd, 2007 at 9:31 am
Thank you so much for your comment on my blog regarding my poem “Wind” it was nice to have someone say positive things when it was my first time posting for Poetry Thursday!
June 22nd, 2007 at 10:04 am
Ron -
Thank you for the compliment!
I’m glad the imagery reached you.
June 22nd, 2007 at 10:04 am
Phoenix -
You are welcome…
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:30 pm
Ooh. I like this Rob. Dreamy. And thank you.
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:38 pm
Alex -
Thank you!
This piece is dreamy — in a Tim Burton-ish kinda way…
You are most welcome — I enjoyed your post.
June 22nd, 2007 at 3:07 pm
those descriptions are beautiful…
June 22nd, 2007 at 6:01 pm
Love the vivid imagery. It strikes me as very Tom Waits during his Nighthawks at The Diner era — stumbling around outdoors in the chilly night air, absorbing the night with all of your senses on high alert. Beautiful poem.
June 23rd, 2007 at 12:57 am
Arboleda -
Thank you!
June 23rd, 2007 at 1:02 am
Herb -
Thank you!
I love Waits’ soulful observations and gut-felt musings… you are kind…
June 23rd, 2007 at 9:22 am
I felt it kind of ghostly. Simply great imagery.
Always a pleasure to read your posts.
June 23rd, 2007 at 9:27 am
Gautami -
Thank you my friend!
It is my continued genuine delight to know you are reading my posts…
June 23rd, 2007 at 10:02 am
I loved the line- “the sorrowing hour”- this truly was a heartfelt and heart-heavy poem. Well done, Rob…
June 23rd, 2007 at 10:06 am
Regina -
Thank you!
That phrase was one of those that just pops into your mind and you go… ‘right!’, that’s it…
June 23rd, 2007 at 11:55 am
This speaks well to the burden of keeping certain secrets. Wonderful imagery painted with your words. I love poems involving the moon and moonlight, even if shrouded in darkness.
June 23rd, 2007 at 12:02 pm
Tara -
You are always kind!
I love the moon as well… although I may have been born under a bad one rising…
June 23rd, 2007 at 4:54 pm
I thought this was wonderful. Your choice of words and how you constructed them together really made this poem something special. You know, in a way this poem was ideal written on a black background in white lettering as it was. Well written.
June 23rd, 2007 at 7:02 pm
Beaman -
Thank you my friend!
Yes, I agree — this piece has a stark, dark essence that feels right in black and white.
I have a black and white image of a cloud-veiled moon I’m trying to find and upload with the verse.
June 23rd, 2007 at 7:06 pm
I love your vivid use of adjectives!
“diamond chips”
“the sorrowing hour”
are a couple of my fav lines.
In, “a negative of the day”, I think it would flow without THE.
“a negative of day”???
What do you think?
I love your paintbrush of words!
Very descriptive & colorful.
Thanks.
June 23rd, 2007 at 7:17 pm
Meg -
Thank you for your kind compliments!
In the writing of this piece I was focused at ‘the’ specific night as a reverse of ‘the’ specific day — but it would most certainly work both ways…
June 23rd, 2007 at 7:39 pm
definately the most omnipresent time of day…..when one tries to hide under the covers away from the burden of naked truth found in our deepest darkest secrets… we are the most vulnerable at this time
vivid imagery Rob…..I’ve read it many times over the past couple of days and it always leaves me spooked, in a Tim Burton kind of way
very thought provoking. i enjoyed it.
June 23rd, 2007 at 8:20 pm
Awareness -
Thank you very much!
My intent was to stir those feelings of vulnerability, and stimulate some deep thinking… glad it touched you that way…
June 23rd, 2007 at 9:11 pm
Nice poem and photo.
June 23rd, 2007 at 9:18 pm
January -
Thank you!
June 24th, 2007 at 1:18 am
Meg -
You embedded it in my craw, now I can’t get it out. I’m going your way… thanks!
June 24th, 2007 at 4:13 am
I am annoyed by your talent.
June 24th, 2007 at 4:30 am
Love it all, but my favorite lines:
the world devoid of color
aglow in sterling grey
a negative of day
Makes me think about what the opposite of holding in a secret is, and how that would express itself in a poem.
June 24th, 2007 at 8:03 am
creepy, dark, mysterious
June 24th, 2007 at 9:28 am
Rob,
Beautifully written. Secrets like the night are mere shadows as opposed to secrets in the light of day.
“the world devoid of color
aglow in sterling grey
a negative of day”
rel
June 24th, 2007 at 10:00 am
MBW -
Glad to be a bother…
June 24th, 2007 at 10:10 am
Sognatrice -
Thank you very much!
…depending what secret is exposed — it might be expressed:
a world devoid of joy
asunder in chaos
in rue of this day
– OR –
a world bathed in color
ablaze in rainbow hue
a celebration day
We best be wary and wise regarding the secrets we unburden ourselves of…
June 24th, 2007 at 10:22 am
Jennifer -
disturbing, unnerving, real
I am pleased you were touched… thank you!
June 24th, 2007 at 10:40 am
Rel -
I genuinely appreciate the compliment!
Always pleased to have you visit.
Secrets are tricky things.
Some secrets, kept in the shadow of night, harm no one — save the deserving keeper.
Some secrets, exposed to the light of day, prove devastating to many — unfairly.
P.S. Thanks for sharing about your 10 megapixel camera. My old camera was only 4 mpx. You inspired me to explore what’s out there. I ended up with a 10 mpx Nikon CoolPix P5000. Man, the image stabilization on the new cameras is great for macro work!
June 24th, 2007 at 12:16 pm
This is beautiful Rob. As an insomniac, I see the world outside my window “devoid of color, the opposite of day” all the time and find it just as beautiful as when washed with sunlight. Thanks for stopping by my blog, I hope you’ll come back.
June 24th, 2007 at 12:53 pm
Kat -
Thank you for the compliment, and thank you and Ecanus for stopping by!
Like you, I sleep maybe 5 hours a night… and I find the night as beautiful as the day — both my muse and my nightmares are alive and moving at night.
June 24th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
Simply…amazing! I have to go back and read more of your posts.
June 24th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
Lisa -
Thank you!
Please, stay and visit as long as you’d like.
June 24th, 2007 at 5:23 pm
Incredible poem, Rob!!!! Spectacular language and imagery! Engulfing almost overwhelming. Wow!
June 24th, 2007 at 5:42 pm
Rob - this is so lovely - I have read it again and it speaks - I love Lunar imagery and… jam - thanks for visiting
xox - eb.
June 25th, 2007 at 1:04 am
Sunday -
Thank you very much for your enthusiasm! I am humbled…
June 25th, 2007 at 1:07 am
Elizabeth -
Thank you, I’m pleased you enjoyed it!
You are most welcome…
July 19th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
What a lovely voice you have.
July 19th, 2007 at 1:09 pm
Pearl -
Thank you very much!
August 11th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
I love the poem, and I love the reading of it. To me, it is still scary putting my poetry on my blog - will people read it the way I would and hear the nuances I wish them to? This is a perfect solution to that. And you’re right - a very nice companion piece to mine. Thanks for visiting!
August 11th, 2007 at 4:49 pm
Dara -
Thank you for stopping to visit, and for your kind words.
Inflection, pace, and pauses are so critical in poetry. Unless you hear the poet read the work, I’m not certain we ever grasp fully the intention.