Skip to main content

Sestina for Gabriel and May: Happy Anniversary

On the 17th of December we gathered in Craigdarroch Castle.
Having ferried to Vancouver Island, the capital, Victoria.
Boughs decked the hall, he well-suited with a green velvet bow, Mr. Bell.
Holding our breaths, she appeared rosy-gold hues and petals, Ms. Cannon.
Later we celebrated the marriage, Mr. and Mrs., dining at the hotel Magnolia.
Night-filled ceremony, lit bright over the city, our happiness a single star.

A year gone by and think of the light streaming from that star,
A light year to reach us, our home and castle,
Yet stands a 150-year old monumental magnolia,
A tree reminds us we've no escape from time and tension. Queen Victoria,
Reigned sixty-three years and seven months. Reach for a cannon,
Consider the heavens, shot full of mind, searching for the lingering ring of a bell.

He has been working for travel and learning the ways of fatherhood, Mr. Bell.
In the Underdark, games with Crows—ridiculous movies with death stars.
She has since grown a human inside her, Mrs. Bell née Cannon.
Hanging art and baking gingerbread cats, creating a family, strong as a castle.
Thank history, the ingenuity of a Queen and legacy city Victoria,
Named for she who invented, ruled and loved like a star-struck magnolia.

The cleric advises them to flower: sweetbay, anise and star magnolia.
Plant wild and sweet dreams beside wild and sweet clover and blue bell.
Remember, a new hope eventually blossoms, ask even stern Queen Victoria.
The reader gazes heavenward and sees love distant, an everlasting star.
Teatime, snuggle and take your books and paintings into nooks of the castle.
She says, "Always tell stories to advantage and create your own canon."

They were Irish and Scottish, most of them farmers, those with the name Cannon.
The ancient plant preceded even bees, named for a Frenchman, magnolia.
To honor Joan in 1887, Robert Dunmuir ordered it built, the bonanza castle.
They were Scottish, handsome in French and took Americanized surnames, like Bell.
So one began like Luke, as a farmer, but in time planting seeds on a distant star.
Events repeat and intertwine, the Romanesque future opens overlooking Victoria.

A bracket of names, she could have had: Wilhemina is the new Victoria,
A woman planned for with artful strategy, a well-placed cannon,
May her fantasy heroes live beside an intersectional star,
Struck blossoms, gentled by the pink, yellow, cream petals of magnolia.
We find a well-lit future — and much to adore—in little Willie Bell.
Wherever she goes, family follows and love swells around her castle.

So, in the beautiful city Victoria, we began in a theater watching the star,
Then said the words that struck marriage, strong as cannon and castle.
A year later, our memories drift: magnolia petals fall pealing happy little Bells.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Thoughts on "Depression Hates a Moving Target": What I Mean by Relatable

Relatable — I used this word in my reviews of Depression Hates a Moving Target   by Nita Sweeney on Goodreads and Amazon . It's a nice word, but overused of late. So, it feels lazy. What do I mean? I connected with this book. It made me reflect more on my own first marathon experience. It made me want to put on my running shoes and head out the door again. In fact, I did. Now, typically, my mental health doesn't hinder my ability to do the stuff I want to do and my body flies under the radar. Still, I also felt goofy stepping out in my running gear a lot of the time. I didn't see myself as a "runner" or an athlete. And, I had no idea if I could run 13 miles let alone 26.2 when I started. More to the point, could I stay moving for the 4+ hours straight it would take to complete the marathon? To do the training mileage, I knew I'd have to run through streets and trails on my own and that made me nervous, too. Waves of grief wash us to strange shores. Whe...

What is Solarpunk? Good question, great answers from our community

What is solarpunk? My fellow Glass and Gardens: Solarpunk Summers authors Commando Jugendstil and Tales from The EV Studio put together this video for the Turin International Book Fair . It features editors and authors from the solarpunk community sharing their thoughts. Together we're imagining optimistic futures based on renewable energy. My soundbite was: "Solarpunk futures are — green spaces with clean water that are pedestrian, collective, feminist, creative communities. And they include non-human animals. " Mary "solarpunk" Shelley cat did a great job (at 6:15) helping from her rather ridiculous cat tree which she absolutely loves. And what better time to wear this solar-colored "Veganism is Feminism" tee from The Herbivore Clothing Company . Seriously. I'm holding a stack of solarpunk books: Glass and Gardens: Solarpunk Summers  edited by Sarena Ulibarri which includes my story "Watch Out, Red Crusher!".  Wings of R...

Springy story review: "State Change" by Ken Liu

Why it springs to mind:  You'll never look at an ice cube the same way again. Where read: In the 2014 Hugo award-winning Lightspeed Magazine , August. Length: 5,194 words Summary: A woman has an ice cube for a soul. Memorable: How the story invites us to think about the shape of our soul, how it (or our perception of it) influences us and how it changes. What ordinary every day object would your soul be? A silver spoon, a beech stick? A great party conversation starter, this. Quote:  “All life is an experiment." Notable:  The protagonist Rina is an avid reader (always a good choice). Pairs well with: T.S. Elliot, Edna St. Vincent Millay Origin:  The story was written in 24 hours based on a writing prompt. (See Author Spotlight: Ken Liu ) About the author: Ken Liu’s debut novel, The Grace of Kings , the first in a fantasy series The Dandelion Dynasty, is due out from Saga Press ( a new Simon & Schuster imprint ) in 2015.