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Thursday, July 3, 2014

Poetry Friday


Photo from Wikimedia Commons


A Fourth of July poem from one of my favorite poets.

"fireworks"

First
A far thud,
Then the rocket
Climbs the air,
A dull red flare,
To hang, a moment,
Invisible, before
It's shut black shell cracks
And claps against the ears,
Breaks and billows into bloom,
Spilling down clear green sparks, gold spears,
Silent sliding silver waterfalls and stars.

Valerie Worth

POETRY FRIDAY is at MY JUICY LITTLE UNIVERSE! Thank you  Heidi for hosting on a holiday!

12 comments:

Irene Latham said...

Oh those silver waterfalls and how they so quickly turn to smoke! Thank you for this poem... VW creates a beautiful picture here, doesn't she?

Tara said...

Those last three lines are stunning - I shall be thinking of them tonight when (unless it rains as it promises to) I will be under a canopy of fireworks. Happy 4th., Carol!

Linda B said...

I watched our fireworks, at least the tops of them, last night from Civic Ctr Park. Worth always gets it perfectly, doesn't she? Have a wonderful day, Carol!

Carol Varsalona said...

Carol, this poem is a visually exciting one celebrating the glory of the day. Enjoy the 4th.

Author Amok said...

That hang in the air is lovely -- so like the "pause of the wave" in one of my favorite poems "Swift Things Are Beautiful."

Heidi Mordhorst said...

Also one of my favorite poets and this is a new favorite poem which I believe I have overlooked all these years. Really nice!

Jeff Barger said...

"Breaks and billows into bloom" is such a good line. Now I'm ready for fireworks tonight. Have a great 4th!

Anonymous said...

Hi Carol. I like the way the tension builds as the rocket goes up, and releases as the silver waterfalls come down. Thanks for sharing - I'll look for more by Valerie Worth.

Michelle Heidenrich Barnes said...

Valerie Worth is one of my favorite poets too, Carol. Thank you for sharing her with us today... puts me in the mood for tonight's festivities!

Tabatha said...

Valerie Worth is a treat. Like Jeff, my favorite is "Breaks and billows into bloom." Have a great holiday weekend, Carol!

GatheringBooks said...

Waterfalls and stars - how beautiful, and such an apt poem for Independence Day! Happy 4th! :)

Mary Lee said...

Belated Happy 4th of July!