What a wonderful metaphorical view of the candle, harking back to before electricity and kerosene lamps when the candle meant light for reading and writing in the dark of night. There is something quite sensuous about the way you describe the flowing wax. Unique and enjoyable.
A challenging place to dwell. And doing so fearlessly must open the door, for the agonist of your poem, to a host of strange experiences. "Fisting the sickle" does not sound healthy. I perceive a spiritual element in the subtext of this. A hearts cry that continues diminishing as time passes. As if one was seriously malformed in their upbringing in the Christian church. Interesting reactions, below, to this absorbing, and saturnine metaphor. In addition to Steves excellent observation; I discovered in the Greek that there are many interpretations of Danae: 'showered with gold', 'parched', and also, 'she who judges', which I thought interesting in light of the content of the poem. Good to read you again. Moving work. Peace and well-being ...
This is well crafted work that evokes a coherent set of mental images, sights and sounds. I checked your use of 'alight' and finally tracked it down in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as meaning 'on fire' - chiefly a British adjective with all the other dictionaries only defining it as 'disembark' (or similar). I'm still not sure if you intend it as a verb or adjective..?
It seems there are endless ways to characterize the process of arriving at that moment when the pen, the keyboard, the quill comes to life. Here, you've given us a glance into what might be the preamble to a start, a place where the most vital means of writing is given honor and respect, even as it struggles to retain its sworn duty to light the way while succumbs to a wick's impatience. Loved the layering of the impression. Well done.
The songs and art in this book are about our collective emergence after the pandemic and trauma of the last few years - comprised of 5 collections: World as Refuge, Where We Live, In Our Hands, Rhythms of Change and What We See & Sow.
If you tend to believe romantic, passionate, masculine poetry is a thing of past eras, read "She Intrigues Me," and be swept away in the beautiful craft of a contemporary poet of love.
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the wax, dust and smoke still lingers...
It reminded me of my first job working
in old Libraries...where my dreams
abounded...
I was not afraid...
It was where I dwelt...
Amazing work...
Diana...
Mary
Ron
budd