Bells Tolled High
Bells tolled high above in the carillon—
a happy song for us they sang
to mark the day we wed,
and I became
your own.
Unknown,
who Time would claim—
clouds lent a sense of dread,
then thunder sounded with a bang;
we ran to the shade of the pavilion.
You gave me a rose of deep vermillion,
precursor to my spirit’s pang.
“Fear not, my dove,” you said.
“You bear my name,
my stone.”
Alone
escaped the flame,
and oh, the tears I shed!
A somber song for you they rang—
Bells tolled high above in the carillon.
Copyright © 2018 Abigail Gronway – All Rights Reserved
Welcome to my series, Incremental Poetry, where each week the featured poem will be one line longer than the one I share the week before. I have no idea how long I’ll keep this up, so we’ll just have to wait and see. Thank you for stopping by.
Scansion:
The Balance
Created by Viola Berg, this form attempts to create an ebb and flow rhythm.
Consists of 4 quintains
Stanzas 1 & 3 = 10–8-6-4-2 syllables
Stanzas 2 & 4 = 2-4-6-8-10 syllables
Rhyme scheme: Abcde edcba abcde edcbA, where the capital letters represent a refrain.
You bear my name, / my stone…” Referencing Revelation 2:17, but also the taking of the spouse’s name in marriage, and the placing of that name upon the tombstone. Both the name and the stone serve as a memorial to her lover and the love they shared. The tombstone in particular reminds her that death is a natural part of life, and one day they will be reunited, when she too is laid to rest by his side. The reference to Revelation 2:17 makes it allegorical. She also bears the name of Christ as His bride. He has gone to prepare a place for her, and one day He will return to take her unto Himself. In that case, she is not to weep, but to rejoice.
Thus far, one of my favorite. There is in this poem an ethereal quality that is at the same time solid. A perfect balance.
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Thank you. This one was challenging to write, but I do love a challenge. Also I’ve been trying to grasp the concept of metaphysical poetry.
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