The Tuesday Poem: Refeaturing Catherine Fitchett’s “Blue”
Blue
In the first week
the sea is the dark blue of the mountains
between the blooming heather and the first snowfall.
In the second week
the sea is the greyish blue of her Sunday best sateen
which she wore when they first met.
In the fifth week
there are storms. White waves crash on the deck.
Through her porthole she sees a sea as green-blue as his eyes
that caught her gaze when he asked for her hand in marriage.
In the eighth week
her child sickens.
they are becalmed in the turquoise blue of the bracelet
on her sister’s arm, waving at the dockside.
In the ninth week
the days grow shorter. At twilight
the sea is the inky blue of the words in her diary,
recording births, deaths and distance travelled.
In the last week
they bury her child. The ship is enclosed by sea and sky
the blue of the eggshell she found on the path to the byre.
Nearby an unfledged chick with staring eyes,
covered in flies.
The next week she unpacks seeds brought from home,
plants cabbages and carrots,
marigolds, poppies and nasturtiums.
The cornflower seed, she sets aside.
In summer the garden is aflame
with red, orange and yellow
but no blue
not any scrap of blue.
(c) Catherine Fitchett
Published in Flap: The Chook Book 2, (The Hen House) 2010
Reproduced on my blog with permission
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Fellow Cantabrian and Tuesday Poet, Catherine Fitchett, is the next up in my re-feature series. To read my commentary and Catherine’s bio, check out the original feature from Tuesday November 30, 2010:
“Blue” by Catherine Fitchett
You can also visit Catherine on her blog:
Still standing on her head
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To check out the featured poem on the Tuesday Poem Hub and other great poems from fellow Tuesday poets from around the world, click here or on the Quill icon in the sidebar.
Thanks Helen, it is good to see it here again
I really like the poem, Catherine, so am pleased to be able to share the goodness.:)