David W. Parsley Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Dreams of the Search .i. In this place the trails cross without beginning. It is where the night fell before it could be found and questioned. Since, the wilderness has listened through abandoned nests and dams, frozen streams, to be apprised of our separated arrivals. Between us the fire throbs a wounded nebula, fragments swirling up beyond its glow into the pine musk, that star-dwelt darkness. Look. The sparks successively flare, vanish. Prescient agonies I do not choose, they choose me. . ii.. It was when I confirmed the others had gone the white fox bounded from his hole to lope in and out of view. Though this too is an injury, I stand as mute as sky. Snow deepens above a deferred silence. It is into this silence the last lights were seen to pass. I sense hardwood, hemlock, a mixed multitude: limbs touching branch upon branch to edges of rivers, clearings without habitation. If there are voices, if there are roads, may they lead to a single home. PublishedTiny Seed Literary Journal, 2021Anthology Forest, 2021 © 2012 David W. ParsleyParsley Poetry Collection 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 great poem david-clever intriguing mystical work- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David W. Parsley Posted March 7, 2012 Author Share Posted March 7, 2012 Thank you, eclipse. I was hoping this piece would speak to you. - David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyv Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Dave, if you've really been away from poetry for a while (as you've said) this is quite a comeback. There's some serious solitude going on in this one. I like how you harness the wilderness, the American western and mountain states in particular, and incorporate your unique brand of solitude into the land and skyscape. It's almost as if the speaker is alone in the universe. There may have been others, but they are gone. Whether or not there even remains another soul in existence is unclear. Even the animals are tangibly absent. Did the speaker even see the fox, or did he imagine it, wish it into existence for a moment as fleeting as its perceived appearance? This ambiguity is powerful and appeals to me. If I had to find a picture to describe your poem, it would be a blend of this one: Sun Tunnel and this one: Ghost Panel. From the first one, it's evident there were people there, but whoever they were, they are now gone. From the second, It appears there may have been someone there, but it's not even clear if s/he was human. Prescient agonies I do not choose, they choose me. I can feel it. This is world class work. Tony Quote Here is a link to an index of my works on this site: tonyv's Member Archive topic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David W. Parsley Posted March 10, 2012 Author Share Posted March 10, 2012 Hi tony, your well expressed resonance with the poem is right on. The pictures you link are terrific in their own right, even for any who do not connect with the poem itself. I am also grateful for the high praise you accord the piece. The inability to find an editor who would liike to publish it puzzles and frustrates me. If anyone has a literary (or other) magazine to suggest for work of this type, I would be grateful. Thanks! - Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyv Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Well, Dave, that's kind of part of my vision for this board. I figure life is short, and the University of Iowa press won't be publishing me any time soon, so why not publish here? Anyway, we'll probably reach more people. ;) Tony :) Quote Here is a link to an index of my works on this site: tonyv's Member Archive topic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David W. Parsley Posted March 17, 2012 Author Share Posted March 17, 2012 I am very happy for this board, precisely because it is a place where I can come to find 'streams' and 'seashell', 'What the Wind Brings', 'Portage', 'Phone Call from an Old Friend', 'on a quiet night when you can't sleep', 'Romeo and Juliet in London NW10', 'The Sojourner', 'Nocturne', 'Breaking Up', 'breeze', cups of coffe with Jehovah, Frank's alphabet series, and a dozen other poems that didn't just pop into my head. It is a great place to share with folks of like heart and mind. Just bear with me when I express exasperation with the inability to find these pieces in University of Whatever literary thingies. - Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_con Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 David- I must agree with Tony- This is inspiring, truly inspiring work--- The world of publishing has changed a great deal but there are still outlets (although since for the most part I don't try who knows how effective the are;-) Winning writers news letter sometimes has good leads.There are others but it is horribly frustrating;-) DC & J Quote thegateless.org Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fdelano Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 What I love about this poem is something I can now do only in my mind. It makes me think of going off alone and finding that special place where the world speaks to me with all the physical senses and some strictly mental. Great work, my friend and cohort at finding an audience. This was and will be valuable to me for some time to come. fdh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badger11 Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 It was when I confirmed the others had gone I think that line is a real hook to read on and find out what happens next. badge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David W. Parsley Posted April 13, 2012 Author Share Posted April 13, 2012 Hi Doc, sorry for waiting so long to reply, just didn't want to step on the weekend bracketing Easter and Passover. In addition to your expression of admiration and inspiration, I am grateful for the link you supplied. I have gone in and looked a couple times already, and have bookmarked it. Spring quarter has started at UCLA, so I am back in the mode of working a more-than-fulltime job, plus a labor of love (UCLA Extension does not pay very much). When things settle down I will make another run at the broader publishing world (apologies to Tony and Aleks ), but will continue to treat this site as the principal place for collecting my works. Of course I'll let everyone know if I have any luck. Thanks again! - Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David W. Parsley Posted April 13, 2012 Author Share Posted April 13, 2012 Franklin, your ability to respond to these "solitude" poems (as Tony astutely observes, which includes "Passer in the Storm" among others), is very gratifying. Thanks for your acknowledgment of the shared experience. I am a little troubled by the revelation of certain circumstances, but will refrain from inquiring. Always good to hear from you. - Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David W. Parsley Posted April 13, 2012 Author Share Posted April 13, 2012 I was wondering how folks would feel about the "hook", thanks for the encouragement, badger! I hope the "what happens next" was not too much of a letdown. - Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David W. Parsley Posted September 18, 2022 Author Share Posted September 18, 2022 Hello Everyone, just restoring this to PMO Showcase (with significant help from Tony!). I kept it out of sight while the publisher, Tiny Seed Literary Journal, was displaying it online and in print over the last year. Here it is with all the original PMO commentary. Enjoy! - Dave 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinker Posted October 11, 2022 Share Posted October 11, 2022 David, So glad you restored this here, I missed it the first time around and almost missed this time. Congratulations on the publications. Gratefully, I am here and this piece read aloud settles in my core. I feel more than a connection, it feels like home to me. This is seriously good writing, poetry that touches the soul. ~~Judi 1 Quote ~~ © ~~ Poems by Judi Van Gorder ~~ For permission to use this work you can write to Tinker1111@icloud.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poetjohncompton Posted November 8, 2022 Share Posted November 8, 2022 scenic and vivid and beautifully descriptive 1 Quote https://www.facebook.com/poetjohncompton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David W. Parsley Posted January 1, 2023 Author Share Posted January 1, 2023 Hi John, I appreciate the resonance. Cheers, - Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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