You finish with the beginning: blanketed reincarnation
between the forest of icy berries. Blushing horizon
entices suspended allure, a fullness
matched with the sharp comfort of frost on hot
cheeks. You lust after
the loudness of quiet, the fullness of consuming
pine’s scent, the swallow’s song, of being
pinned down by the mountain’s
grandiosity. Snow-sheets bed
abbreviated death, yet, you are not done
with the creamy bite, nor the fruit
of promises to come.
Harking from Trieste, Italy, Seattle, and Chicagoland, Alysa Levi-D’Ancona is pursuing her MFA in Creative Writing and Poetics at UW Bothell. She was longlisted in the F(r)iction 2020 Fall and 2021 Spring Contests and a published finalist in the 2021 Stories That Need to Be Told Contest. @alevidancona
Beautiful!
I really enjoyed this. The first line “You finish with the beginning: blanketed reincarnation” resonated with me on a personal level. I had an NDE when I was a child, and these words almost reflect the same sensation of timelessness and being blanketed. The rest of the poem has vivid images that feel tangible to me. Unsure of how much of it was intentional, but almost every line following the first could be innuendo. On a surface level, I enjoy the twisting of landscapes and sensations.
The nature and snow related imagery in this poem is captivating! My favorite line is “You lust after the loudness of quiet…” The contrast of words caught my eye and I like how it speaks to being consumed by the serenity of nature.
Simple yet so elegant “Snow-sheets bed abbreviated death” is ringing in my head. Love the imagery and scenery details, they all read with such clarity. I could imagine rereading this over and over in front of a warm fire with a good cup of tea.
Love it!!!
Always love to hear your work. Now I get to read it too! Well done!