Friday, October 25, 2013

Velvet Shoes

I love bright words, words up and singing early;
Words that are luminous in the dark, and sing;
~Elinor Wylie



Snow Balls by blmiers2

A bit of silky stillness this Poetry Friday:

Velvet Shoes
by Elinor Wylie

Let us walk in the white snow
   In a soundless space;
With footsteps quiet and slow,
   At a tranquil pace,
   Under veils of white lace.

I shall go shod in silk,
   And you in wool,
White as white cow's milk,
   More beautiful
   Than the breast of a gull.

We shall walk through the still town
   In a windless peace;
We shall step upon white down,
   Upon silver fleece,
   Upon softer than these.

We shall walk in velvet shoes:
   Wherever we go
Silence will fall like dews
   On white silence below.
   We shall walk in the snow.

***********

Live Your Poem... has the Poetry Friday round-up today.

We need one more person to make the Winter Poem Swap group an even number. Want to jump in? Email me at tabatha(at)tabathayeatts(dot)com. (Thanks, Irene -- you complete us!)

13 comments:

Author Amok said...

Hi, Tabatha. Lovely, quiet poem I like how the pacing of the poem suits its subject.

"White as white cow's milk,
More beautiful
Than the breast of a gull"

New ways to look at snow.

Irene Latham said...

Tabatha, bright words, luminous words, indeed! Thank you so much for sharing! xo

Linda B said...

When we've had really big blizzards, this big city is like this, Tabatha. One can hardly hear a car, at least in the beginning of the mornings. Beautiful poem. I love this part: "We shall walk through the still town
In a windless peace".

Michelle Heidenrich Barnes said...

This poem gave me chills. So lovely.

Tara @ A Teaching Life said...

Oh, my. This poem transported me into another world - a sort of C.S. Lewis winter world. Just beautiful!

jama said...

Such a gorgeous poem, Tabatha. Love the idea of velvet shoes -- used to play a game with my cousins where we'd put on velvet shoes and go to the secret circus.

Thanks for this beautiful moment of stillness. :)

Liz Steinglass said...

So slow and peaceful.

skanny17 said...

This is a perfect poem for me to add to my collection for sharing with kids. I love how it brings the magic of a snowfall so softly to life: lacy, delicate, velvety, wool and silk. I don't know many of Eleanor Wylie's poems but these words "I love words opalescent, cool, and pearly"sent me to google to find her poem "Pretty Words" here:
(And as you know your introductory couplet is from that poem!)
http://www.sonnets.org/wylie.htm

I first read the line in teacher Andy Waddell's piece "Why I Force My Students to Memorize Poetry" in the "American Educator" Summer 2011 magazine.)
He said in part:
"As English teachers we have a unique opportunity and responsibility to put words into our students’ heads—crisp, delicious words, ‘words opalescent, cool and pearly,’ words to entertain and sustain them. Words they may never forget."

When kids eagerly learn poems by heart with me, I know I am giving them the gift of words that I hope will stay with them for a long time. I am always on the look-out for poems I think they will want take to heart! Thanks, Tabatha!
Janet F.

Keri said...

Perfect capture of the stillness of waking to snow. I love the s and sh sounds scattered through -- the sound of walking in snow. I love the photo you picked to match too. :-)

Violet N. said...

Simply gorgeous and magical!

Mary Lee said...

This poem captures how I feel when I'm on my early morning (still in the dark) walks just after a snowfall. The quiet. The peace. My velvet shoes (unless it's cold enough for the snow to creak!!).

Ruth said...

Lovely!

GatheringBooks said...

Winter. Quiet. White. Such stillness, such peace in this poem. I meant to tell you Tabatha, I received the binder! Such a pleasant pleasant surprise that made me smile. I was expecting it, of course, but receiving it still made my day. :)

My favourite lines from this poem:

We shall walk through the still town
In a windless peace

My heart is quiet. :)