Sunday, April 1, 2012

Sunday Morning Poetry

used with permission by photographer, Jaime Brandel
What is Black?

Black is the night
When there isn't a star
And you can't tell by looking
Where you are.
Black is a pail of paving tar.
Black is jet
And things you'd like to forget.
Black is a smokestack
Black is a cat,
A leopard, a raven,
A high silk hat.
The sound of black is
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Echoing in
An empty room.
Black is kind-
It covers up
The run-down street,
The broken cup.
Black is charcoal
and patio grill,
The soot spots on the window sill.
Black is a feeling
Hard to explain
Like suffering but
Without the pain.
Black is licorice
And patent leather shoes
Black is the print
In the news.
Black is beauty
In its deepest form,
The darkest cloud
In a thunderstorm.
Think of what starlight
And lamplight would lack
Diamonds and fireflies
If they couldn't lean against
Black...
~ Mary O'Neill
This poem is from a marvelous book called Hailstones and Halibut Bones by Mary O'Neill. The image is from an incredible photographer, Jaime Brandel.

13 comments:

Jeanne said...

Love you
Love the photograph and your Sunday poetry postings.
Love you

Rabbit
Rabbit♥

A Cuban In London said...

What an absolute delight to read this poem whilst listening to Michael Nyman's sountrack of the movie "Drowing by Numbers". Many thanks.

Greetings from London.

Isa Lisboa said...

It's really nice to read this sunday poetry posts. Thank you for bringing poetry to our sundays! :)

Scrappy Grams said...

Hailstones and Halibut Bones was one of my favorite books to read to my first graders. One year I found a film of it. That was back in the day when the library loaned books and films to even the Catholic school. If you google, maybe you can find it. Both the kids and I LOVED it!

Ivy and Elephants said...

I love this poem, too! I do a poetry unit with my fourth graders and we study colors, This book is perfect for it! Thanks so much for reminding me!
Big hugs,
Patti

TheChicGeek said...

So lovely, Relyn.
Black is beautiful :)
Thank you for stopping by my blog to say hello. You are and have always been a sweetheart!
Ahh, the kitty looks just like my Marvin. I just had to put him down to sleep :( He was 20 years old though...he had a good run of it.
Funny, sometimes I think I see him out of the corner of my eye walking through the house. Maybe I do...We never know, do we?
I send you lots of love, Relyn :)
Thank you for remembering me!
xo
Kelly

Lubna said...

Beautiful both the poetry and the photograph.

Amy said...

What a great poem . . . and awesome photo to match!

Countrywoman said...

loved the poem and thanks for the message. hugs

Jaime said...

That poem is perfect Relyn!
Ah, a firefly would not be so brilliant without it's black backdrop. I still have yet to see one... some day. :)

Auntie sezzzzzz... said...

Precious...

And isn't black, the combining of all colors, into one? Or maybe not. ,-)

"A gush of bird-song, a patter of dew,
A cloud, and a rainbow's warning,
Suddenly sunshine and perfect blue--
An April day in the morning.”
~~Harriet Prescott Spofford

Marilyn Miller said...

This reminds me of a time last year when I was walking in the black night and suddenly there were fireflies all around me. Black does have it's own kind of beauty. Great photo too.

Dawn said...

Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful poem !! As a result I went to my library this afternoon and found the book (1961) version and checked it out. I love the poems and illustrations ! I was told the book hadn't been checked out for several years so I'm hoping they will discard it and let me buy it. Thanks again for sharing otherwise I would never have known about it !!
Warm Regards,
Dawn (in Arkansas )

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