Supplicant

She stood at the abyss
stared straight ahead, contemplating.

To gaze down and succumb,
or look up and search the night sky,

seek one shooting star
one point of light, one gift her quest:

a day followed by tomorrows.

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I’m hosting Tuesday Poetics at dVerse, the virtual pub for poets. The prompt for today is to write a poem using the word “gift.”  Consider the many ways the word can be used: gift of gab, a special trait, a package wrapped in ribbons, gifting someone, etc. Photo: Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh. Pub opens at 3 PM Boston time. Come join us!

53 thoughts on “Supplicant

  1. kim881 May 30, 2017 / 3:13 pm

    I love this, Lillian! I wrote a found poem about the night sky earlier today. I love looking up at the night sky and feeling like I’m falling as stars constantly move across the expanse of the universe. It’s like falling upwards. That’s some gift – a day followed by tomorrows.

    Liked by 1 person

    • lillian May 30, 2017 / 3:15 pm

      Oh….I love the idea of falling upwards. We once lay back on Cadillac Mountain in Maine’s Acadia National Park and watched the stars for hours. Uplifting……like falling upwards 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Grace May 30, 2017 / 3:13 pm

    Hopeful and ever searching for that light ~ I love your ending: a day followed by tomorrows.

    Liked by 1 person

    • lillian May 30, 2017 / 3:15 pm

      …and it’s really a new beginning, right? 🙂

      Like

  3. annell4 May 30, 2017 / 3:39 pm

    Van Gogh’s gift of a Starry Starry Night! And your words, what more to ask! What a gift!

    Liked by 1 person

    • lillian May 30, 2017 / 3:40 pm

      Thank you! It is truly an amazing painting. I would love to see it some day! Glad you enjoyed.

      Like

  4. whippetwisdom May 30, 2017 / 3:45 pm

    What a wonderful gift Lillian, ‘a day followed by tomorrows’ and alongside Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ this feels like a double gift :o) xxx

    Liked by 1 person

    • lillian May 30, 2017 / 3:54 pm

      It is truy a wonderful and joyous painting! Pairs well with the home of tomorrows 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Jade M. Wong May 30, 2017 / 3:49 pm

    Ahh, tomorrow truly is a wonderful gift. Love the accompaniment of the painting as well!

    Liked by 1 person

  6. alisonhankinson May 30, 2017 / 3:52 pm

    I think I like that she was searching for the gift, she knew it would be there she just had to be patient.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. sanaarizvi May 30, 2017 / 5:54 pm

    Love the image of a ‘day followed by tomorrows’ sigh.. beautifully executed.❤️

    Liked by 1 person

    • lillian May 30, 2017 / 6:17 pm

      Thank you, Sanaa. Always appreciate your hearts! 🙂

      Like

  8. Waltermarks May 30, 2017 / 8:31 pm

    Tomorrow is a great gift. I wonder if Van Gough ever realized that. Your poem makes me think of the hopeless ones, trapped in illness, yet hoping for a brighter tomorrow. Very poignant

    Liked by 1 person

    • lillian May 31, 2017 / 9:33 am

      Thank you, Sumana. So glad you enjoyed. Every day brings with it rays of hope. Exactly.

      Like

  9. rosemawrites May 31, 2017 / 4:27 am

    the gift of tomorrows. wow. wow. how beautiful is that. you said so much in so few, Lill! ❤

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Bev May 31, 2017 / 8:20 am

    …and we’ve only to read the latest news to know that tomorrow is a gift some might not receive. We must savor our todays.

    Liked by 1 person

    • lillian May 31, 2017 / 9:34 am

      Exactly! So glad this resonated with you, Bev. Thank you for your thoughtful response.

      Like

  11. Glenn Buttkus May 31, 2017 / 1:31 pm

    Living near big cities on WA coast, one does not see many stars, but 3 miles away are the foothills of the Cascades and there the stars are clear.During meteor showers we head up there, pull out the beach chairs and blankets & stare at the gift of firmament for hours.

    Liked by 1 person

    • lillian May 31, 2017 / 1:40 pm

      One of my fondest National Park memories is my husband and I lying atop Maine’s Acadia National Park’s Cadillac Mountain watching the stars. It is just an awesome feeling! I agree 🙂

      Like

  12. sarahrussellpoetry May 31, 2017 / 3:09 pm

    I love “…to seek one shooting star, one point of light…” in order to go on. And Van Gogh’s painting is perfect.

    Liked by 1 person

    • lillian May 31, 2017 / 5:56 pm

      It is one of my most favorite paintings of all time 🙂
      Funny — I was first looking for The Supplicant, an ink drawing from about 1914, in public domain. I must have tried everything on the internet for about a half hour. Finally I gave up. Reread what I wrote and went with Van Gogh. Had I gone the other way, (google it) it would have been a depressing poem….this way it is an uplifting piece and I’m so glad….much more like the person I am – a positivist! 🙂

      Like

  13. revivedwriter May 31, 2017 / 4:51 pm

    Having hope in life is a supremely wonderful gift, to have “a day followed by tomorrows” rather than an ending.

    Liked by 1 person

  14. katiemiafrederick May 31, 2017 / 6:12 pm

    Multi-layerRed Love
    oF Creativity never
    ending stories
    GifT
    oF LiGht
    thAT stays
    ratHeR than
    goes.. Hello friEnd
    Lillian.. been a while..
    finishing touches
    on a 1.618 Million
    Word Free Verse
    Poetry ‘PHI Bible”
    per the Golden
    Spiral Mean
    Ratio too
    iN a
    Memorial
    Day 2016 thru
    Memorial Day 2017
    effort has kept me rather
    busy and now breezing thru
    the Wonderful dVerse trail of Poets
    aGaiN.. somEthing about a special interest
    mY FriEnd iN Van Gogh Colors never limited to read Gift..:)

    Liked by 1 person

    • lillian June 1, 2017 / 7:13 am

      I’ve missed you, Katie! So glad to hear all is okay and you’ve been on a creative bent with words….always a good pastime 🙂 Keep “breezing” my friend….love seeing your trail here! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      • katiemiafrederick June 1, 2017 / 9:14 am

        SMiLes..
        Wordromancy
        Textromancy
        Lust for
        Life
        Romancy
        As ‘they’ say..
        Nice to see you
        On the word trail again2..;)

        Liked by 1 person

  15. lynn__ May 31, 2017 / 10:52 pm

    Yes, looking UP at a starry night gives hope for tomorrow…cool poem and prompt, Lillian!

    Liked by 1 person

    • lillian June 1, 2017 / 7:14 am

      Thank you, Lynn. So glad you enjoyed! 🙂 I’ve always loved this painting by Van Gogh! And oh my yes, the starry starry sky just leads one to the promise of tomorrow. I actually enjoy it more than the dawn….but then I’ve always thought of myself as a glittery gal 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      • lynn__ June 1, 2017 / 8:29 am

        I find delight in Van Gogh’s paintings…and your poetry 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  16. jerennazuto June 1, 2017 / 2:45 am

    An amazing feeling to the poem. I really liked it. The gift of a shooting star to help us. A delightful concept!

    Liked by 1 person

    • lillian June 1, 2017 / 7:15 am

      So glad you enjoyed and many thanks for the thoughtful response! May a shooting star cross your path in an evening soon to come! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      • jerennazuto June 1, 2017 / 7:51 am

        Aww, thanks for those kind words. Sadly I have never seen a shooting star in my life, I hope I do soon.

        Liked by 1 person

    • lillian June 1, 2017 / 7:16 am

      Yes……may we all take a bit of time and simply pause to watch the night sky…opens new vistas of thought and hope and reflection. Glad you enjoyed the ending 🙂

      Like

  17. Adda June 1, 2017 / 6:00 pm

    Love the ending… i look forward to many tomorrows.

    Liked by 1 person

    • lillian June 2, 2017 / 6:28 am

      Me too! Funny how my mind can go from so positive one day (here) to the Character Study yesterday which is much darker. Odd.

      Like

    • lillian June 2, 2017 / 6:28 am

      Me too! Glad you enjoyed, Jennifer.

      Like

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