Sipping bordeaux, afternoon delight.
She, the queen of hearts, oblivious.
He, her soul’s sustenance, sits restless
in the tangles of foment.
His love, her peace and windrush.
His lust, her quicksilver.
Poetry is a testament to noticing.
Journal upon the table, pen hesitates,
writing stammers, then suddenly stops.
Eyes look up, gaze high.
Sentinel Eiffel Tower looms
overlooking this changing scene.
Her hands shake, tears form.
Looking at him, she knows.
This seasonal song has no coda,
final movement complete.
He nods slowly, touches her hand,
whispers I’m sorry and leaves.
For her, the summer is done.
Written for Tuesay Poetics at dVerse, the virtual pub for poets around the globe. Today Merril gives us a list of names given to roses and asks us to write a poem including at least five of the names. We cannot use the word “rose” wtihin our poem. The rose names are Afternoon Delight, Bordeaux, Brass Band, Cayenne, Desdemona, Ebb Tide, Eiffel Tower, Golden Gate, Mermaid, No Surrender, Peace, Penny Lane, Queen of Hearts, Quick Silver, Restless, Sea Foam, Summer Song, Tangles, White Wings, and Windrush. I’ve included the ten that are in bold print.
Image AI generated on Bing Create.
“Poetry is a testament to noticing” quoted from Poetry Unbound, 50 Poems to Open Your World, by Padraig O Tuama, Irish poet and theologian.
lillian the home poet 
This is gorgeously tender and detailed, Lil! I love the images “Journal upon the table,” “tangles of foment,” and the emotions they evoke. ❤️❤️
Yes, Poetry is a testament to noticing 🙂
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Thanks, Sanaa. Glad you enjoyed! 🙂
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You’re most welcome 😘
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Well done!! You got 10 of them in there! And it truly is a beautiful poem! I love the personification of the abstract at the end. A very enjoyable example of the prompt, great job Lillian☀️
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Glad you enjoyed. Fun to work with all those names of roses!
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Oh my, Lill! This is one of your best, I think. I love the pace of the first stanza–like everything flying by, and then
“Poetry is a testament to noticing.” Such a good line!
This summer romance so well-depicted! 💙
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Thank you, Merril. You are so kind….you made my day!
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You are very welcome, Lill!
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This is so tender, the story told, and how much the summer’s end can mean.
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Thank you, Bjorn. Look forward to seeing you again on Saturday and dVerse LIVE!
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“pen hesitates,
writing stammers, “
Nice one, Lillian
much love
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Ah…you’re the only one that’s commented on the “pen hesitates, writing stammers”….I really liked the use of the word stammers which is usually only thought of as existing in speech and I shifted it to writing here. So thank you for that! Hope to see you Saturday!
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a testament to noticing! lovely
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Yes….when I read that statement in the book “Poetry is a testament to noticing.” I was enthralled and struck by it! Glad you liked it too.
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The anti-rose!
The rose names are perfect little phrases for capturing this moment. Nicely written Lillian 👏
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Glad you liked it!
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I love your description of what pottery is especially in this poem – Jae
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Ah yes…..I thought maybe you’d gotten my poem mixed up with someone else’s when you referred to “pottery”….but that’s the lovely autocorrect when we type. You mean POETRY! 🙂 and yes…I was so struck by that line, Poetry is a testament to noticing. It really is, right?
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An intriguing story. I love the line, ‘Poetry is a testament to noticing.’
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Me too! I was so struck by it when I read it in the book Poetry Unbound. It really is true…so simply stated, but so true!
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A clever use of the prompt words, Lillian. Well done.
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Thank you! So glad you enjoyed!
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💜
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Lillian, your poem is so lovely! You wove the Rose Names into the story beautifully. Your take on Summer’s end, heartbreaking.
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Exquisite writing, Lillian. A lovely read 🌹
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So many roses, so much story – brilliant Lillian…
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How lovely, Lillian. Your poem is a tribute to all those broken love songs. I enjoyed seeing how you used the rose names. Stunning!
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This is fantastic, Lill! From the first line to the last, so fabulously and thoughtfully written, and that quote is the cherry on the top! I especially loved, ‘pen hesitates,writing stammers, then suddenly stops.’
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I exclaimed out loud when I read the ending! This poem is so realistic and true, recognizable to anyone who has lost a love and doubly recognizable to anyone who had been in Paris with a love who was then lost… I regret that I have in my pile of photo albums from a live well lived a really cute one from a trip to Paris with a loved one… so many pic of us having a great time with icons like the Eiffel Tower in the background… and the title on the cover is “We’ll Always Have Paris”.
We aren’t married any more. Your poem – it’s us.
Great job!!!
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