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Speaking of twilight

Longtime Poetry Friday contributor Marcie Flinchum Atkins is celebrating the release of her new picture book, When Twilight Comes: The Animals and Plants That Bring Dusk and Dawn to Life. Congratulations to Marcie! She invited us to share a twilight poem or image, and I chose “Darklight,” by Rosanna Warren, from the Yale Review. It is so atmospheric. The poem begins,

“The moon dragged her string-net bag of shadows through the boughs
as we felt our way along
the night road, gravel crackling
under our feet”

Read the rest here.

Marcie has the Poetry Friday roundup for March 27th at her blog.

Photo by Susan Thomsen

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36 responses to “Speaking of twilight”

  1. Karen Edmisten Avatar
    Karen Edmisten

    Oooh, yes, it is atmospheric! I like this:

    all
    that family sorrow now
    twinkles quietly in the enormous sky

    And your photo is gorgeous!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      Thank you, Karen! This is one where I suddenly noticed the color of the sky and ran outside with the camera. I liked those lines of Warren’s, too!

      Like

      Reply
  2. Tracey Kiff-Judson Avatar
    Tracey Kiff-Judson

    The angle of your gorgeous photograph makes it so powerful. Thank you for sharing Darklight. I enjoyed the way she brings trees to life. It is the perfect pairing with your photo. Bravo!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      Tracey, many thanks for your kind words. I am really enjoying poking around the Yale Review website. There are so many gems on there.

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      Reply
    2. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      Tracey, I’m not able to leave a comment on your blog today, but wanted to say that your poem is great about the banyan’s complexities. It’s kind of an edgy tree!

      Like

      Reply
  3. lindabaie Avatar
    lindabaie

    Gorgeous photo, Susan, and that poem really fills one up, doesn’t it, nighttime imaginings, a bit creepy, but really just not warm. I love “the stream
    in the gully gnashed dark thoughts about the rocks”. Hmmm!

    Thanks for this, new to me!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
    Susan.Thomsen

    Thanks, Linda. Yeah, not warm. It feels like a fairy-tale journey. I’m reminded of the time my husband, our then 5-year-old son, and I underestimated the time for a hike in a nearby nature preserve. We had very little light for the last ten minutes or so, and it was creepy!

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  5. cathystenquist Avatar
    cathystenquist

    Really enjoying the Twilight nature focus this week! Beautiful photo. That first stanza brought me back to a trip in winter to “The Balsams” in Dixville Notch, NH, and our late-night walk down the gravelly road while the flakes fell on total silence. There’s something special about walks at twilight.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      That place is amazing! I was there, just for lunch, a number of years ago. I can see the connection with this poem.

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  6. tee+d Avatar
    tee+d

    Oh, WOW. The imagery there is on fire!🔥 Gully-gnashed dark!! I need to use that phrase somewhere…

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      The imagery is indeed crazy good! And finding this poem is my reminder to myself to read more of Warren’s work. I’d love reading your poem with “gully-gnashed dark” in it, Tanita!

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      Reply
    2. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      P.S., Tanita, what a lovely, lovely poem “Night Song” is.

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      Reply
  7. margaretsmn Avatar
    margaretsmn

    Amazing poem. I had to google the word “necromancer”. Definitely a mood inspiring poem.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      Margaret, Rosanna Warren is the daughter of Robert Penn Warren, and when I was in college, she was teaching poetry at Vanderbilt. (She must have been only a few years older than her students.) I wish I’d taken one of her classes.

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      Reply
  8. Liz Garton Scanlon Avatar
    Liz Garton Scanlon

    Oh, that string-net bag GETS ME. What a perfect, perfect metaphor….

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      Perfect! I agree.

      Like

      Reply
  9. Linda M. Avatar
    Linda M.

    How beautiful…I completely agree about the string-net bag. The necromancer’s arms, too. Wow.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      Absolutely! I feel like I know the word “necromancer” from Harry Potter, but maybe not.

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      Reply
  10. Marcie Flinchum Atkins Avatar
    Marcie Flinchum Atkins

    Susan, this photo is gorgeous! And thank you for this poem. I love “her string-net bag of shadows”–what a phrase!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      Thank you, Marcie! I am looking forward to reading your book.

      Like

      Reply
  11. maryleehahn Avatar
    maryleehahn

    Great photo, great poem! I loved “Cassiopeia’s maternal zigzag” — never again will I look at one of my favorite constellations the same way!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      There’s so much to admire in this poem, right? So moody!

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      Reply
  12. patriciafranz Avatar
    patriciafranz

    So much happening in that twilight walk! Thanks for sharing, Susan.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      You’re welcome! I was really happy to find this one. I had not know it before.

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      Reply
  13. rosecappelli Avatar
    rosecappelli

    I am mesmerized by that beautiful photo, Susan. Thank you for pointing us to Warren’s poem. That opening line pulled me in immediately!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      Thank you, Rose! That’s my front yard, acting dramatic.

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      Reply
  14. theapplesinmyorchard Avatar
    theapplesinmyorchard

    Susan, I love this poem that you shared. Thanks for introducing us to Warren’s work. These are the lines I like: “tall spruces with their necromancers’ sleeves,
    white pines raising arms in supplication, celebration.” It reminds me of where I live and part of why I love it.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      Carol, I’m so glad you like it! The imagery really spoke to me, too.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  15. Tabatha Avatar
    Tabatha

    Thanks for this very fresh poem, Susan. So much to sit with here.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      There is! And you’re welcome, Tabatha. I really enjoy looking for the poems to include for Poetry Friday. Sometimes they come to mind right away; other times, I need to go poem hunting.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  16. Buffy Silverman Avatar
    Buffy Silverman

    Love the switch from the matters of the constellations to matters on earth–lovely poem!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      Rosanna Warren has a poem in the March 30 issue of the New Yorker, too. I just saw it last night. It’s about coots!

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      Reply
  17. Robyn Hood Black Avatar
    Robyn Hood Black

    Gorgeous, gorgeous poem, Susan – and perfect for Marcie’s invitation. Thank you for sharing!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  18. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
    Susan.Thomsen

    My pleasure! Finding poems is fun. I end up reading quite a few before I find the right one.

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  19. Michelle Kogan Art, Illustration, & Writing Avatar
    Michelle Kogan Art, Illustration, & Writing

    What a romp of a poem, she really takes us all over, dark but bits of light peeking through. Your pic is just gorgeous, thanks Susan!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Susan.Thomsen Avatar
      Susan.Thomsen

      Thanks, Michelle. I’m looking forward to reading more of RW’s work.

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