"black veil blues #1"

black veil blues #1

and her?
she was born a widow
pushed out into this world
bawling and broken

she was alone before you knew her
before she knew you
knew your body
blood beating
pulsing praying pushing
and cold
still
ash on her fingers
ash in the wind

before that, she was alone.
children played at house
cops and robbers
bonnie and clyde
she practised loneliness
until it was an art

after you knew her
she drew the curtains shut
let no light in
held the memory of it in her hands
smelled myrrh
let it run between her fingers
nails lacquered to a high black shine
stored in enamel boxes
wept on fridays

she was born a widow.
the gift you gave her?
realisation of her self
blossoming whole
dead browning bloom


Mairi Graham-Shaw
© 2015


Image links to its source on Wiki Commons
Else Sehrig-Vehling: “Drawing of a Woman” - undated.
Wiki Commons asserts Public Domain

“Time and Water”

Time and Water

Time is like the water,
and the water is cold and deep
as my witness.

And time is like a picture,
which is painted by the water
and me, but half-done.

And time and water
run un-channelled to exhaustion
in my witness.

Steinn Steinarr ("Tíminn og vatnið" in the original Icelandic)
Translation by Sheila Graham-Smith © 2015

 
From Wikipedia:

Steinn Steinarr (born Aðalsteinn Kristmundsson, 13 October 1908 – 25 May 1958) was an Icelandic poet.

Many Icelanders regard Steinn Steinarr as their greatest poet, although he remains almost unknown outside of Iceland, due perhaps to a lack of effective translations of his poetry.

Image links to its source on Wiki Commons  
Sumarkvöld við Reykjavík (Summer Evening in Reykjavík) by Þórarinn B. Þorláksson (1867-1924). Made in 1904.
Public domain.