Photo © Tom Clark, 2011
When she arrived, I wished
mi cara welcome to Purgatory,
this stopover on our journey
from Hell to Heaven.
It is much like the fable
the black padres taught us about
the comforts of the Afterlife.
A myth, no more. But a myth
is better than nothing. Yes?
Perhaps a Heaven really is just
over that hill where the sun
sleeps with tomorrow.
For tonight, though, I am sleeping
with mi ángel, a gift like
cool rain dropped from the clouds.
She comforts my dreams
with her body as I hold
hers together with mine.
Our coupling is a prayer
for the rest of our journey,
where, without fear, we test
the truths of Purgatorio and Paraiso,
because muerte, death, is just
another fork in our road.
I wrote this free-write poem in response to a prompt from my friend Kellie Elmore’s Free Write Friday for June 14, 2013. She asked me to look at some dramatic photographs from multi-genre artist Tom Clark. I chose this one and tried to I imagine a simple man lying there with his lover trying to reach their Paradise together…one way or another.
The same picture is what caught my heart as well. I hope for this couple it really was just a stop over on their way to finding heaven on earth.
This is really lovely. I particularly like the image of heaven sleeping with tomorrow.
I meant the sun sleeping with tomorrow. Long day!
To have that one special person by your side can make the worst of times seem not so bad. 🙂
Superbly beautiful – words entwined in poetry as the lovers are – I think most of us chose this image – it speaks for itself, loved these lines –
this stopover on our journey
from Hell to Heaven.
And even if we are not suffering the poverty of a shanty town, there is something rich beyond things when you find love. As the fridge magnet says, ‘The best things in life are not things at all.’
A beautiful read.
Ah, the Spanish lent a certain romance to your interpretation of this image. Very enjoyable read.
Not corny at all…I think sometimes in Spanglish so I can relate. Beautifully imagined and told. A tender read which I will revisit again.
Joe — OMG — what a lovely poem. So touching and oh so true. Thanks for sharing.
Corny? What? You should give yourself more credit.
This is moving. I agree with everyone…that line… about the sun sleeping with tomorrow…wow. Gave me a beautiful image in my head. Thank you so much for reminding me that this is not the end. That we are just in waiting for something better. I cling to the vision you have given me.
♥ Kellie
On a lighter note…
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Soul enriching verse. Simple yet intriguing, with a pull that is gentle & engaging. “Perhaps a Heaven really is just/ over that hill where the sun/ sleeps with tomorrow.” so adorable!! Our coupling is a prayer/ for the rest of our journey,/ where, without fear, we test/ the truths of Purgatorio and Paraiso,/ because muerte, death, is just/ another fork in our road.” How true!! another fork in our road!!! Superb.
…Our coupling is a prayer for the the rest of our journey…this really moved me. Just a beautiful piece.
This is lovely, tender. It’s nice to confront purgatory, heaven and hell with one’s lover.
A much happier purgatory than they taught us about! A lovely, loving poem.
the coupling being the prayer for the rest of the journey…that line really stood out to me…
and i like death as another fork in the road…
hope you are having a good week joe…
I like the dissolving of certain boundaries, eg. heaven, just beyond the hill. The idea of coupling as preparation heaven and hell is very nice… Oh, darn it. reread the poem. You said it better, than I.
This poem has the breath of romance that lingers in the air long after you have finished reading the words.
The endings of both stanzas are very strong. I love these quiet ponderings and the photo is perfect!
Wow! Really like this Joe..very visual…and I love the line “perhaps a Heaven is really just.over that hill where the sun sleeps with tomorrow” Beautiful! .
very touching.
Joe, this is truly wonderful. The line about the sun sleeping with tomorrow – that is just brilliant. There’s so much more I could say, but I’d be just be gushing.