Tonight's Evening Sky - Description

Tonight's evening sky is not a unified shade of blue. It is multihued, with a myriad of periwinkle and pale grey, with some albescent strands weaving in and out. Fuzzy fronds float all around, like the finest eiderdown feathers. How they waft and wind and wrap the town, like the world's fluffiest duvet. That sky puffed out my evening blues like pasty, petty clouds. Next time I feel blue, and devoid of bliss, I will dream of this and surely beam. Sure my small reflection may not be a masterpiece. But for me, just remembering that sublime sky always raises my inner peace.

A Tailor's Joyful Days and Dreams

At last, my tailor stall shuts down.

Winnows flow through my home windows,

caressing my skin as I lounge.

Lost in drowsy moods, I dream;

of mirrors glimmering on Kurtas,

reflecting my guests' grateful beams,

stitching blouses with rousing flowers,

studding them with lambent gems.

My, how they'll shine in bridal showers!

 

Pleating saris on mannequins,

sipping cold fresh mango juice,

sun rays skimming on those sequins,

 

quilting my Kantha with Kurtas, and Saris,

bordering it with bright blue beads,

dreaming of each stains' histories:

 

Maybe a Rani dabbed her tears,

as a doe died near her palace walls.

Could this explain this kohl stain here?

Perhaps a Raja healed a hurt hare,

when strolling in the misty woods.

Could that explain that bloodstain there?,

 

I stroke my Kantha’s red cotton thread.

I beam at my joyful working days,

I hope I dream more dreams in bed.

The Flight of Seim's Songbird

I muse moraines and misty glens,

as Brenda, the songbird of Seim.

I steep rosebay tea, out by the rocks.

I sip tea and sing with all my friends.

 

I mused many drafts this morning,

for I'm a poet who presses on.

I always ink all my instincts,

But now it's evening, and I’m yawning.

 

I lie on my Rya, and inhale,

up I rise, to Scandi skies.

Sol's gold carriage holds me safe,

she sings to me her timeless tale.

Her fire and strength I so admire.

When she started as a wee spark,

she shot out from hot Muspelheim,

that scathing pit of fear and fire.

This songbird here just so reveres,

how Sol vanquishes Skoll the wolf.

From all his snarls, and bloodstained claws,

Sol whisked away and disappeared.

I savour Sol’s cold, spicy mead.

It cools my throat and warms my heart.

We 'wade through' 'heaven's' rainbow bridge,

Me, goddess Sol and her swift steeds.

 

These Scandi skies, those rainbow glows,

Those frosted fronds, this heady mead,

I hope my soul stays warm and whole,

I hope my onward journey grows.

 

I respire and rise, in a daze.

Oh, how rosebays sparkle in these airs!

My, how they whirl with all those winds!

I yearn to stay in this Rosebay haze.

Their rosy colours, their fruity flavours,

colouring my life, devouring my strife.

My rapture swells like the Rosebay tea,

I steep back home, and slowly savour.

Reluctantly, I do release,

and land beneath 'a tall, green tree'.

'Showered with your shining loam',

my spirit sings with so much peace.

O'er your mounds, great Odin prayed,

nine days and nights for wisdom's light. 

What more lores, do your roots store?

Oh mighty tree, please tell me more!

Hello everyone. Thank you for reading this poem, inspired by Norse culture and mythology. I hope you all enjoyed it. I conceived it during a long car ride home. 

When inhaling, I imagined skyward scenes such as flying chariots, treetops, rainbows, birds, whirling rosebays and glowing sparks. When exhaling, I imagined grounded scenes such as rosebay fields, rocks, rya rugs, ash trees, lush meadows, and loams.

 

To clarify, the ‘Songbird of Seim’ is not actually a bird in this poem. The songbird actually refers to a fictional lady poet called Brenda, who lives in Seim. She likes to write poems, steep rich fruity rosebay tea, and catch up with friends in the village. One day, Brenda felt worn out, so she sat on her and starts breathing. As she breathes, she imagines these Nordic gods and places.

 

My first reference to Norse Mythology shines through Sol, who is the Nordic Sun Goddess, born in Muspelheim. She rides a golden chariot in the sky, like Lord Surya, the Hindu male sun god. In the original Norse mythology, Skoll the wolf devoured poor Sol. However, Brenda worships Sol so much, that she fancies that Sol always defeats Skoll in her dreams.

 

Read more about Sol (Norse sun goddess) here: https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Sol-and-Mani/313604  

My second reference to Norse mythology glows through the ‘heaven’s’ glowing rainbow bridge Brenda and Sol ‘wades through’. Its original title is Bifrost, a bridge that transports gods from Earth to Asgard (realm of the Gods, such as Thor). 

 

My poem’s line 15 referred to Poem Edda’s two lines below:

Line 8: Shall Thor each day ‘wade through’ – Thor crosses this shimmering bridge every day in the original poem. In my poem, Brenda holds her breath, and crosses it with Sol.

 

Line 10: For 'heaven's bridge' burns all in flame – This tragedy happened one day, when many gods crossed the bridge in the original poem. However, in my poem's quatrain 8, Brenda dreamt that the rainbow bridge remained whole and unspoilt.

 

Read more about bilfrost (rainbow bridge) here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bifr%C3%B6st

 

Brenda then respires, rises and gets whirled up within the most rapturous rosebay haze, as rich and fruity as the rosebay tea she steeps back home. She then releases her breath and lands safely near a tall green tree.

My third reference to Norse mythology shines through a 'tall tree, showered with shining loam’ near where Sol drops an exhaling Brenda from her chariot. Its original title is Yggdrasil, a sacred, ash tree growing in the middle of Earth, bridging the Nine Worlds, like Muspelheim, and Asgard.

 

My poem’s line 22-23 referred to Poem Edda’s lines 3-4 describing below:

‘a tall tree, showered with shining loam’.

 

Read more about Ygdrassil (sacred ash tree) here: https://skjalden.com/yggdrasil/

Brenda prays to stay and listen to more lores from the wise and mighty tree. Does the tree grant her wish, or does it whisk her away to her tired old home?

If you arrived here, thank you so much for reading everything. Right now, Asgard rings in deafening applaud, for your showmanship, strength, and sacrifice. May the Norse Gods bestow their boons upon you.

A Handsome Man - Description

The man sported his black martial arts suit which served to accentuate his fine muscular physique. It was cut open to reveal his amazing abdominals. In the half light, they glimmered a mesmerising milky marble then melted to a softer silvery shade of grey, before finally fading into shadows. The moonlight created an ominous, ombre effect on his upper torso. His blue eyes gazed into the distance, as sharp, steely, and sombre as a sword. His jaw was set in a rigid, unwavering line. He had rippling raven hair, curling down his chiselled features to his broad shoulders.

Leaves on valleys and soil on rocky roads - Description

We crossed sloping valleys. They felt as cracked and crisp afoot as nut-butter nature valley biscuits. They were scattered with leaves as crunchy as roasted peanuts. Though the leaves dried up, they were not yet powdery as their sinewy veins firmly bound up their membranes. They fluffed and puffed up like popcorn kernels rustling on crinkly beige baking parchment. The rocky roads we reached were smothered with soil as crumbly and moist as chocolate cookie dough. The bread brown ground was spread with leaves as brown as nut-butter. They were autumnal but not yet burnt toast, rough and ready to be crumbled into breadcrumbs.

Fireworks at Niagara Falls - Description

I shifted above my gaze up from Niagara's flowing waters, to the sky's starbursts, set to blaze. The fireworks were awesome. They exploded with enigma like sudden supernovas. My greedy eyes gorged the glorious green and glowing gold. Resplendent red ribbons, vehement violet and searing silver streaks also occupied my ocular sense of sight like a 3-Dimensional film. Big, bright, beautiful starbursts, cartwheeling Catherine wheels and magical multicoloured sparks bedazzled Niagara Falls on the Hill. The bestial bangs and applauding roars shook the ground and took my breath away. Shooting fireworks was such a whimsical way to celebrate the never ending Niagara Falls!