Thursday, March 30, 2006

Working Heart

Working heart, love factory,
Generations of stored excellence
Perched on a straw nest hatching tired
From the constant ache of egg laid want.

Turned and turned but not from feeling.
Star bright dreams of the distant present,
Unblinking daylight telling all the fictions we believe,
Fears with words that wake us almost speaking
From nights of almost dreaming.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like the whole poem, but these last three lines, "Unblinking daylight telling all the fictions we believe,
Fears with words that wake us almost speaking
From nights of almost dreaming."
are perfection.

Russell Ragsdale said...

Thanks Aurora! I'm so glad to have your extremely pleasant comment to christen this poem with.

Pat Paulk said...

Russell I have to agree with AA the last three lines are poetic perfection!!

Nick Zegarac said...

Like the rapturous haunt of some eternal quest for complete fulfillment that is n'er to be attained, you've managed to isolate the reader in a tragedy of the moment that lingers long after all words have been put to rest. Excellent!

Russell Ragsdale said...

Thanks Pat! Glad to have your great comment. You've been on a wonderful cycle of serious themes lately. I've been enjoying it!

Russell Ragsdale said...

Thanks Nick! Yes I'm afraid its our nature to be this way. Thanks for the great comment!

Neetee said...

What a beautiful poem.

Generations of stored excellence
Perched on a straw nest hatching tired
From the constant ache of egg laid want.
This is so profound, especially for a parent.

Thank you for sharing this!

Russell CJ Duffy said...

as a father of four i am not sure if this applies to me and mine!... 'Generations of stored excellence' but i am very impressed by the words and odd rhythm that feed this poem. it is great to have been able to watch various co-bloggers as they have progressed and evolved over the last couple of years. your poems seem to go from strength to strength. delightful.

Russell Ragsdale said...

Thanks QN! Those are some of my most favorite lines in this poem. Glad they were there for you!

Russell Ragsdale said...

CJ, thanks for the great words! We're all here to grow and share. It is important that there is encouragement, especially when one tries to do something out of the ordinary and aspires to something beyond the common. Your comments have often helped me to understand and try to do better, which is very important as well.

Sue hardy-Dawson said...

Day dreams always a smile in the distance, all my worms got stolen by essays so I hope I am cohearent

Russell Ragsdale said...

Hi Sue! Coherency doesn't appear on the list of prerequisites for commenting on this blog. We're glad to have your essay racked soul back among us (the EWD -- electronic wakened dead)!