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Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Magpie Tale for this week


Wherein the picture is provided by Magpie Tales
and the description,
in verse or in prose, is provided by the participants. 
Kipling could,
and would,
have dealt
with this
small piece
of tombstone,
in seven
minutes,
maximum,
and told
a full tale
of a full life lived and done.
But no one
was Kipling
but Kipling
just as
no one
is me
but I,
so instead
of wanting
to be him,
all I can do is try.
Julia, it says here, died in 1858,
in the cold end of November,
perhaps weather caused her fate.
Someone named Wilson loved her,
a husband, a parent, a friend,
who raised this stone above her,
to mark out her place in the end.
But, like her, the stone was broken,
in pieces it shows to us
a little, a fragment, a token
of Julia, now turned to dust.


35 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kay great take on the prompt. Welcome back to Mag. Love and Light, Sender

Kay L. Davies said...

@ Sender -- Thanks. I appreciate that, a lot.
-- K

Gabriela Abalo said...

wow, great take on the theme. I love it.

Thanks for stopping by my place.

loveNlight
Gabi

The Whispering She-Oak said...

Interesting approach to the prompt, Kay. I am still in my beginning phase of looking at the image and trying to catch the ends of pieces of string that tantalise my imagination. Unlike Kipling, it usually takes me at least four days to come up with something that satisfies me.

Friko said...

Hey, you're clever. Producing this in so very short a time as you have done, is absolutely not bad at all. Even Kipling would have owned it as his.
If this is what you do in a few minutes, I must come and see what you do when you take your time.

Amanda Moore said...

I really enjoyed this, it did accomplished a lot in such few lines it has a great flow to it and a poetic ending... just perfect!

Kay L. Davies said...

Rudyard Kipling, in his role as Poet Laureate, wrote many eulogies when the greats of England died.

@ Friko -- Starting in November 09, my blog contains 18 chapters of my book An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel. Then I hit writer's block. The adventures continue, but the writing has ground to a halt. I'm hoping Magpie Tales, as well as Microfiction Monday and several photo memes, will help my creativity recharge.

Mary said...

Kay, this is a wonderful poem. I agree, no one is Kipling but Kipling, but you definitely captured a bit of Julia, even if it was her dust!

Diane T said...

Kipling is Kipling for sure... but it wouldn't
surprise me if you are like him, Kay!

Rinkly Rimes said...

Ah! I didn't know that about Rudyard Kipling!

Anonymous said...

Love the reference to Kipling. Your response to the names on the tombstone is so poignant.

Anonymous said...

This is so well done, Kay..feels like the words flowed quite easily for you! My own writing has ground to a halt..perhaps I need to follow your lead and join more writing memes. Maybe I'll look into Magpie Tales, (which I've heard of) and Microfiction Monday, (which I haven't).

Anyway, good job...talk to you again soon!

Lynette

Arian Tejano said...

i love the pauses each comma solicits.. it's like im listening to a tale of a neighbor who's not sure whether the details she is saying call in the truth of the whole story.. incredible writing!

Kay L. Davies said...

@ Arian -- Thank you for your lovely compliment. I appreciate it.

kathi harris said...

I like this.

christine said...

Loved this and thank you telling something about Kipling I didn't know!

Marilyn & Jeff said...

We learn so little by reading the words, the fragments on a headstone. This is so well written.

Pearl Maple said...

fabulous post, words and theme, thanks for sharing.

chiccoreal said...

Dear Kay: Like Rudyard Kipling's descriptive prose and like his famed work; "The Jungle Book" and "Kim" I will look up his poems as well! I find your poem begets buckets of talent; another gifted one; such as the immortal Kipling! I am wholly entralled with this love/death romantic poem! Thank-you!

izzy said...

Aah Kipling! such a wonderful writer. I think we do ourselves a disservice to compare though.
The piece is enough- Thanks!

Tess Kincaid said...

I like what you've said about Julia. I wondered the same things as I came upon her broken stone last week. Well done.

Anonymous said...

Unless my eyes deceive me, Julia was aged 6 days. Great poem and great filling in the crack. Wish I weren't such a realist. MAV

ana said...

Loved your token of Julia - forget Kipling, he's gone but you aren't! :0-)

Helena said...

Ahhhhh......what a nice little tribute to Julia.....however old she may have been!

Unknown said...

this was a great piece of writing..and I am glad that you are Kay

Maurie Kirschner said...

The first part made me smile and the second impressed me by your ability to actually READ the tombstone. And a very beautiful way to speak of Julia's life and death. Nicely done!

Carrie Van Horn said...

Loved what you did with the prompt...well done!
:-)

Kristen Haskell said...

What a wonderful post:0 Great job with this weeks prompt. Kristen

Annie Jeffries said...

Love how you wove Kipling into this and then gave life to Julia and husband, both long dead.

Shail Raghuvanshi said...

Kay, that was a lovely post, within a few words you have composed a little story with memories...

Martin said...

I really liked this. A short commentary on a lost life.

Reflections said...

Nice write, well spoken of and by.

Lydia said...

Wow, I have goosebumps from reading about Julia, to whom I gave little consideration in this particular Magpie. In simple ways she seems real to me now. I wonder if she is aware of your recognition of her short time on the Earth...

Leah said...

This has such a nice rhythm, and pace! Lovely. My first time at Magpie Tales, and I am going to love it, I know.

The Blog of Bee said...

I enjoyed this very much. Thank you.