Incremental Poetry ~ 20 Lines

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.