Magnolia Blossoms by Anna Montgomery
For Immanuel Kant
I persevere
in this shallow depth of field
art of perception
keeps me anchored,
floating in the halation
of your poetry
in the Japanese tea garden
I traverse the half-moon
bridge to nowhere
sublimity of the formless
blurred image becomes
my method of loci
memories of belonging
to you, to the world
through my embodied perspective
surround me
fingertips trace your shadows
phantoms cast in my peripheral vision
sensitivity amplified
to unbearable heights
all sounds are blown mute
left with complex silence
eidetic imagery of you
like the sun ghost
burning beneath closed lids
ephemeral spaces alight
in the tinted ambiguity
nuances of hue illuminate
this interplay of epiphenomena
as if an absence of psychology is possible
specificity of time and place diffuse
opposites now lose focus through erasure
circle of confusion defines my
travel without passage
aporia breaks the logic of identity
into a deep, silent wonder
no longer aware of my limitations
philosophical puzzles denature
self engulfs grand sensation
I am a boundless magnolia
celestial body, fertile,
[untranslatable]
without a cipher
ever distant/ever close
your immersion ignites
heat flushes my face
a sweet release
mystic union
encountering the limits of language
a border kissing the initiation of bliss
encompassing all, alone/together
as I was then, as I often am
seeing anew:
moral freedom is gained from conquering fear
here lies the hunger and the nourishment
heartbeat within and without
creative impulse and its fruition
I am forever mutable
melting in the presence of beauty
Posted in response to Claudia’s truly inspiring Meeting The Bar prompt on Beautiful Solitude: http://dversepoets.com/2012/09/20/meetingthebar-beautiful-solitude/
Chromapoetica 
Lovely. The quiet moments that make us think…. and no one would realise the significance of that moment for us as individuals but most secret of selves.
Yes, I think that secret self has an important life of its own outside the constraints of our day to day existence.
incredibly awesome
You brought me a big smile, thank you!
I am a boundless magnolia
celestial body, fertile,
[untranslatable]
without a cipher
ever distant/ever close…ha really like that….and its really cool the feeling of pulling back or in until you are boundless, which is a logical contast…
You know I almost cut that stanza out, I was honestly afraid people would make fun of it. Yes, a logical contrast but how we seem to function, with the eyes and perhaps the soul.
I like how you use that “depth of field” to describe self. My impression from this is that the peace comes from seeking clarity in expanding beyond that shallowness, sinking as deeply as possible in beauty.
Yes, that’s a wonderful way to see it, thank you.
Beautiful. My favourite stanza is already chosen by Brian. So lovely. All of it is, really. You amaze me
Oh, how sweet of you to say. As I told Brian I almost cut that part out, so glad now I didn’t.
Stunning work Anna—just so gorgeous–my favorite lines–
eidetic imagery of you
like the sun ghost
burning beneath closed lids
Audrey, you’ve made my day :)!
Quite stunning, great atmosphere.
How wonderful to hear, I was afraid this was one better left in my mind.
Good to see some classical philosophy as the basis for a poem
Thanks John, I thought so too.
Beautifully penned, Anna. I love the idea of melting in the presence of beauty. There is no more wonderful solitude than this. I also agree with you when you say moral freedom is gained from conquering fear. We each have to decide what we think and stand by it…and not be swayed by those who have opposing views. Your work, as always, is thought provoking. Thank you, Anna.
Thank you Mary, I think it is this openness to the sublime within solitude that makes being together possible. Kant deserves all the credit for the moral freedom line :).
beautiful anna…the school i went to was the Kant-Gymnasium after emmanuel kant..so i know quite a bit about him….love all the touches and thoughts in your poem..quite some things to ponder…and love the boundless magnolia image that you close your poem with..
I would imagine! Sadly, I wasn’t introduced to him until a college ethics class. Thank you, Claudia for the incredible and inspiring prompt. I always look forward to your feedback.
“I am forever mutable
melting in the presence of beauty”
mmmm… wonderful, this melts on the tongue.
great write, thank you.
Thanks, it is very nice to meet you!
likewise, thank you for sharing such beautiful thoughts
😀
I’m blown away by your words, simply beautiful! Magnolia’s are my favorite.
Thank you, lovely to meet you!
i went to a poetry slam last night. people spoke powerful poems but i think you would have won with this it is very beautiful.
I have terrible stage fright so I have never been in a poetry slam, great fun to watch though. Thank you, your kindness always warms my heart :).
in the Japanese tea garden
I traverse the half-moon
bridge to nowhere
Yes, physically some places within the home can do as well. Just a matter of winding up and it goes a long way! Wonderful write Anna!
Hank
Yes, I have a meditation space in my home where I enjoy spending quiet time. Thanks Hank!
The unfocused image really made me uncomfortable and the fuzzy concepts did the same. The fit together and a felt an effect after reading. Thanx.
I’m sorry your encounter with the work was so unpleasant. Though art is not always created for the comfort of the viewer/reader. The intent of this piece however was not to create discomfort. I have disturbing paintings that are designed to unnerve/disorient but this photographic series was created to bring attention to the act of perceiving. Some artists that may shed light onto the intentional use of the blur are Uta Barth and Gerhard Richter.
I have to agree with Brian and Daydreamertoo… that was my favorite stanza.
This is absolutely stunning, luminous.
Thank you Apryl, I’m back from my dinner break and really look forward to reading yours :)!
Beautiful and a breathe of fresh air to read.
Thank you Leah, nice to see you again.
The stanza I keep going back to is the one Brian also chose.. so glad you kept it there. That identity in relation to external stimuli is at the heart of the piece for me.
I enjoyed the unpeeling, the journey through these thoughts and feelings very much. You always make me think and form completely new connections.. so refreshing.
Thanks Becky, as you know I struggle with how much to explicate and how much to allow the reader to discover for themselves. I always appreciate your willingness to engage and share your thoughts. To hear the process is refreshing has made my day :)!
fantastic illustration of the solitude within, love that you focused on an attempt to understand the underpinnings, seemingly open to the fact that solitude is artistry in many ways, I took much delight in the subtext, allusion and symbolism here. Strong, meaningful piece Anna. Wonderful read. Thanks
Yes, it is artistry, thank you for clearly seeing the link. I had hoped the addition of photographic terms and art criticism mixed with Kant’s views on the sublime would draw that connection. As you know I am always layering symbols, allusions, and subtext so that the poem does not become something to encounter once, consume, and then leave. It is intended to reveal meaning on multiple rereads and to allow the reader to learn something about their own point of view, feeling and ideas, as well. Sometimes I manage this more successfully than others but the underpinnings in this case felt sound and interconnected so I proceeded. Thank you for your close reading and willingness to engage the work to co-create meaning.
“moral freedom is gained from conquering fear” This line jumped out at me, and seemed to define the entire poem for me.
Charles, yes this is Kant’s definition of sublimity and the axis of the poem. I appreciate your visit.
so beautiful Anna ~ love the bridge …
Thanks Polly, here is its real world inspiration if interested: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SFTGMoonBridge.jpg
I love ” I am forever mutable melting in the presence of beauty”…yes, we do seem to merge and change when witnessing it…also glad you didn’t take out that stanza you weren’t sure about…can’t imagine anyone making fun of anything you have written, Anna. Love your painting too…very ethereal…suits your poem.
Thank you for your kind words. I read an article on the psychology of crying and ‘melting’ was used to describe why we may emote in response to awe/beauty. It made sense to me and it’s wonderful to hear it resonated with you too.
Agree with Charles M. – your line about moral freedom and conquering fear very direct and strong, and I found the whole in and out of the magnolia and celestial body and the close especially also beautiful. As, generally, the idea of the untranslatable – and yet we try! k.
PS – thanks so much for counting me among your friends and links – that is very kind of you. k.
Absolutely! I always appreciate your perspective and life experience :)!
This was a lovely write; I’m so glad I stumbled upon your RSS feed and figured out how to use it (tech neophyte here) – it’s obvious you put a lot of effort into your work and it pays off … this poem has much depth and wonderful imagery … nicely d one.
Fantastic to see you again, thanks so much for the visit and feedback!
this was good to have dip in your poetic world…..amazing….quite influenced…….
Hello, very nice to meet you!
These lines:
encountering the limits of language
a border kissing the initiation of bliss
encompassing all, alone/together
as I was then, as I often am
seeing anew
moral freedom is gained from conquering fear
These lines, Anna, are perfect and touching and true.
They felt that way to me, wonderful they resonated with you Kim. Thank you :)!
I love poetry that allows us to identify with nature images (such as the magnolia). And epiphenoma–wonderful word.
I agree Victoria, thank you for the visit!