Iphigene here!
I wasn’t too keen in coming back to GB and posting anything. Life has taken some very tough turns recently and my energy is needed in other things. I still waiver and hesitate in being online, extending my blog hiatus indefinitely. However, today was possible. It was possible for me to come here and write something. It was possible for me to share a little bit of poetry.
For the first time, I joined the Summer Poetry Swap and enjoyed the whole creative process of writing poems, sending poems and getting poems. I’m pretty sure you’ve seen my participation in some of the Poetry Fridays posts these past few weeks. Today I’m sharing the last poem I sent. It was addressed to Margaret Simon (Reflections on the Teche). I’m crossing my fingers and hoping it makes its way to her door step. The poem was inspired by her blog and her posts on the idea of possibility. So for today’s Poetry Friday (hosted by Matt @Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme) I share my poem for Margaret.
The Extent of Our Souls
By Iphigene (For Margaret)
There is an extent by which our soul stretches
One that is measured by words
Short phrases echoed through
In the silence of our minds
In the loose utterance of
‘stupid’ and ‘can’t’
Mingled in laughter, our skin
Think as nothing
Our souls call as truth
Like a seed planted
In perfect day, bears root
Bears bloom, each day
And so, our soul, fits itself
In the limits of our bodies
Brittle for the measure—
Impossible.
However,
As those who know words
Who play with the scales of phrases
Our measures change with space
And rightly placed punctuation
I’m possible.
Feel the impossible stretch
And the soul re-tells its truth
Stretching to ‘greatness’
And knowing it can.
Bearing roots that bloom
Perennial in the hearts
Of those who try to stretch
Their souls to possibility
and its truth.
Gathering Books 
Glad you came back! Love this.
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Thank you! I’m glad you liked it. 🙂
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Glad you came to share today! This is a beautiful poem filled with such hope and possibility. I didn’t take part in this summer’s poetry swap, but I’ve loved seeing all the poetry goodness spread.
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Thank you Kay. The poetry swap has been an interesting exercise for me and I enjoyed it very much. I’m glad you enjoyed the poem. Of all the poetry swap poems, this was hardest to write as life was getting rough this time around.
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“Possibility” is what we have each day, Iphigene, and this makes me smile, will please Margaret I’m sure. I’m glad you joined the swap, love what you wrote and painted for me, and am glad you’ve returned to GP.
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Yes, Linda. Each day is a day for possibility. We don’t have to think beyond the day.
I’m glad you enjoyed the poem and painting and the whole swap experience has been enriching. 🙂
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Welcome back Iphigene. Online life sucks energy in its own distinctive way, so kudos to you for taking the plunge to come back again, even though everything isn’t perfect.
This stanza of your beautiful poem really resonates with me:
“As those who know words /Who play with the scales of phrases/ Our measures change with space / And rightly placed punctuation”
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Thank you Violet. I’m not completely back. I try to contribute here and there, but its been tough for me. I wrote this poem in pieces and that stanza you mentioned took a while to be written. I wrestled with a few words before i came to that.
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It did make it to my doorstep, literally! I am treasuring this gift. The painting is going to the frame shop. I’m not sure how my blog inspired such a deeply moving poem about the power of our words to hurt and heal our souls. I love the lines “who play with the scales of phrases/ our measures change with space…” The musical metaphor works.
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I am so glad it made it to you! One of my greatest fear about the swap that my mail get lost somewhere. Oh my, that probably will be my first painting officially framed. So, thank you.
All those ideas were there in your blog. I probably looked into your blog several times before i wrote the poem and the idea of words and possibility kept surfacing. 🙂
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Beautiful, full, and rich pome Iphigene! That stretching is good for us, so hard to make time for sometimes, though when we do, it lifts us up higher, as your poem has done here, airy and poignant. I did love your stanza that begins,
“As those who know words,”
but this conversational line opens the entire poem up,
“I’m possible.”
Thanks for the poem, reflective painting, and being here!
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Thank you Michelle.
Yes, the stretching is hard. We can get caught with the idea that there is not much to be done, but we know for a fact that everything is possible if we believe it to be.
thanks for dropping by, i’m glad you enjoyed what i had to share this poetry friday. 🙂
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I’m so sorry to hear things have been hard – life can deal us some dizzying highs and shattering lows, and it can sometimes feel like it takes all we have just to keep muddling through. So glad to have you with us this Poetry Friday, your words are always something wonderful to behold.
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Thank you Jane.
At times, I have to just stop from juggling and allow myself to take life one thing at a time especially during the rough patches. But sometimes it also feels good to engage in the good things (like poetry and fridays) and forget life’s trouble just for a moment.
I am glad that you enjoyed this poem.
thanks again.
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Baby steps. So glad you are here.
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Thank you. Indeed. We take it a day at at a time. 🙂
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Hope and possibility will get us all through. Thanks for joining us today. You have lifted our spirits; I hope yours have been lifted, too!
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Indeed! Thank you. 🙂
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So sad that life has been sending you the hard days. I hope the good days start flowing your way again. I’ve been having a rough time, too. Poetry and good poet-friends are a lovely consolation. I’m glad your post was here to remind me I’m not alone.
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Thank you Brenda. I agree, poetry and good-poetry friends is lovely consolation. Here’s to us and the rough times…may we never feel alone. 🙂
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Yes, may we always have a voice that’s answered. XOXO
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I missed this post of yours, Iphigene. “I’m possible. / Feel the impossible stretch… I hope you have been continuing your stretch to blossom throughout the seasons.
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Hi. Thank you for visiting this old poem. I am trying to stretch to the impossible. 🙂
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