At dVerse Poets Pub tonight, Punam of paeansunplugged is celebrating friendships over distance, and I honour hers!

For our poetry challenge, we were invited to take the first line of a poem written by a blogging friend, and to incorporate it into one of our own.

For an additional challenge I aimed for 144 words.

I borrowed the first line of the latest of inky cat’s poems, which starts “catch the water“.

Thank you, Giulietta, for our long-distance friendship and your delight in words and world and wild.

~ catch the water of thy fears ~

~ catch the water of thy fears
thou hast been - for months and years -
grieving, lonely (sad sometimes)
yet linked by rhythm and by rhymes

~ catch the plasma of his blood
heal his scars and stroke off mud;
sticking-plaster on his knees
and where he ripped his dungarees

~ catch the fluids of the womb
for fecundity make room
encourage us to stay creative
help charisma to play dative

~ catch the surging of the rain -
hear it gurgle down the drain -
honour spider, honour fly;
handsome is, who keeps me dry

~ catch as holts the twining river -
log and willow weave and beaver -
rescue flood plains, and reconcile
lynx and wolf and mother pine 

~ catch the fire bird ere it flies
wipe the tears from others' eyes!
with thy breath, the embers grow
so hold the phoenix, then let go   ~


© Kathy Labrum McVittie 28 February 2023