Still Life with Five Bottles: Vincent van Gogh
Collecting sins in old bottles, the days reach out and drop them
in like pebbles, still smelling of fond river beds. Yesterday, it was
the temptation of an improbable love, too big to fit into that
slim hipped flask, but sin is pliable, twists and changes as it is
gathered, as we change its name, change its colour, make it
bearable in the morning. When all those hours, all those words,
all that feel of skin on skin has been corked, when the bottles fill
the shelves and rooms and toss and turn on the breasts of the
tides, when everything has been cleansed and bathed and the rain
never stops falling, tell me then, when did love become a mistake.
Thank you Lorette C. Luzajic, for publishing my poem at The Ekphrastic Review.
Wonderful!
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Thank you Sarah and thanks for sharing it on your site as well 🙂
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Super poem, well done on the publication – ‘fond river beds’ is great layered image (along with the rest of the verse).
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Thanks so much Peter.
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Reblogged this on Sarah Russell Poetry and commented:
One of my favorite poets published this poem on Ekphrastic Review, one of my favorite sites. Can’t figure out how to reblog from ER, so I’ll reblog from Rajani’s site.
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You blow me away, Rajani. I love this in so many ways, for so many reasons. Wonderful 🙂
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Too kind, Ryan! Thank you so much 🙂
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Not at all – honest 🙂
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Thank you.. the feedback keeps me going…much appreciated 🙂
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You had me at the opening line.. this is incredibly potent!!
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Thanks so much Sanaa!
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Congratulations on the publication, Ranjani! There is so much to love about this poem, from the phrases ‘Collecting sins in old bottles’ and ‘pebbles, still smelling of fond river beds’, to ‘
all that feel of skin on skin has been corked, when the bottles fill
the shelves and rooms and toss and turn on the breasts of the
tides’.
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Thanks so much Kim.
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Yes, a brilliant and thought-provoking poem which lives up to the beautiful artwork.
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Thanks so much Rosemary.
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This is marvelous… and so much trouble when we should question if it’s a sin in the first place.
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Absolutely! Thanks Bjorn!
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Tell me then, when did love become a mistake.
Tell me then, when did love ever run smooth
Tempests tossed and all that
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Ha ha.. so true! Thanks Cressida!
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I like the “slim-hipped flask”, and the intriguing look at love in this poem. Especially apt, how we make false steps bearable in the morning.
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Thank you Sherry.
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I love your choice of image and your chooice of words…the question asked…I know no answer.
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Me neither! Thanks Annell!
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Those first five words feed wonder into the imagination. They make want to explore that bottles in a fantastic-scientific way–what kind of fungus might sin grow? Does it eat glass? Can the container contain the rot? I wonder, wonder, wonder…
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Fungus on stored sin… that’s a thought!!! Love the line of questioning! Thank you!!!
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Beautifully expressed ! The question at the end – “when did love become a mistake” is ever so persistent.
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Thanks Neeraj.
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thought provoking for sure…the temptation of an improbable love, too big to fit into that
slim hipped flask… this line is a keeper… 🙂
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Thanks so much Robert. Glad you liked it.
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I did not see that end coming and then bam…..wow this was fabulous!
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Thanks so much Donna.
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I have come back several times to reread this. What does one say to this tightly woven, layered and sensuous imagery? Wow! That just seems too simple. I wish I had written this? I couldn’t. I do what I do, and you do what is yours alone to do. I love it? Yes, I do. Which brings me to your final question: “When did love become a mistake?” When it is held prisoner. Love has only one purpose and that is to heal. It must be given freely and continuously or not fulfill its purpose. But you knew that already, or you couldn’t have written this. So, thank you,
Elizabeth
https://soulsmusic.wordpress.com/2018/04/01/bonfire-lights/
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Elizabeth, always lovely to hear from you. You are so right, love has to be free to seek its purpose and totally unconditional. One can’t hope to tame it and still expect it to be true… thanks so much.
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Wonderful poem Rajani. I’ve read about sin collectors. and here you are writing. Serendipity!
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Goodness, didn’t know it was a thing! That was just inspired by the painting!! Thanks for telling me Toni!
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I love all these ideas of sins and the crashing revelation of the bottle of them breaking.
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Thanks Colleen…
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So loving the imagery here. I chuckled at “sin is pliable”. That’s an amazing line and I wish I had thought of it!
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Thanks so much Rommy 🙂
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” but sin is pliable” . . . ” “The breasts of the waves” Good golly–maybe that love is misplaced and shouldn’t be in sin bottles at all!
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Maybe so!! Thanks so much Susan.
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Your words are testimony to your brilliant mind. You deserve to be published over and over.
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Thank you so much. Appreciate your kind words greatly.
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I love this on multiple levels! LOVE!
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Thanks Ayala!
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‘sin is pliable, twists and changes as it is gathered’ – a brilliant line of poetry.
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Thanks so much Wendy.
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I take great pleasure in recognising your style, and your poetry still has the same effect as a luxurious express or massala chai, exceedingly good for the digestion, and perturbingly addictive. I found your latest, those thick “paragraph” style poems wonderful to immerse myself into, a rich experience not unlike immersing myself into your haibun, which are unlike many I have read, and in fact I miss, in that “addictive” way again! The “ghazal” type poetry (excuse my ignorance of form) I particularly enjoy too, though of course it is more than just “enjoy.” And so I wanted to say thank you, for the enrichment you give.
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Too kind Hamish… have learnt so much of haibun writing from reading your work..so thanks so much!
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