Cynthia Buell Thomas

Healing Waters

by Cynthia Buell Thomas

Tuesday 21st March 2017 1:01 pm (first posted Tuesday 7th March 2017 5:29 pm)

the secret, gentle, drippling brook

dropping down from stony height

sliding under flower and fern -

a cool arcanum of delight to soothe the troubled heart

the swollen ever-mounting swells

breaking in from northern seas

born in Arctic's windy caves -

a cold arcanum to appease the restless, heated mind

from long slow swells of tropic climes

a final lisp on sandy shore

the timeless message sweet and clear

a magic we are longing for- arcanum of the soul.

Cynthia Buell Thomas March, 2017

arcanum: an elixir, a secret potion; a mystery, a secret, any hidden thing; associated with magic, and alchemy

🌷(4)

◄ OOPS!

Picnic ►

Comments

Francine

Thu 8th Jun 2017 17:38

Love the imagery and feeling this evokes!
Who doesn't enjoy tuning into and being one with nature?!

<Deleted User> (13762)

Wed 8th Mar 2017 18:53

what a lovely and thoughtful response to our comments Cynthia - thanks.

your 'drippling' is growing on me - a bit ?

Paul Waring

Wed 8th Mar 2017 15:12

Cynthia, I really like the flow of this poem. I found it soothing, too, so well done!

Paul

Graham Sherwood

Wed 8th Mar 2017 13:56

Arcane: OED

Understood by few; mysterious or secret.

Origin
Mid 16th century: from Latin arcanus, from arcere ‘to shut up’, from arca ‘chest’.

Cynthia Buell Thomas

Wed 8th Mar 2017 11:49

Thank you, people, thank you for your comments. I love the interchange of opinions reference any work; so never hesitate to disagree.

Colin, I had to check to see what 'verse format' I finally posted; I had oscillated so much in my own mind. They were originally four-line stanzas exactly as you say, and at the last minute I blended them together, wondering if readers would 'pick up' the staggered line rhyme if it wasn't more obvious. I need to be more trusting. As for 'drippling', you agree with my primary school teacher who crossed out with a thick red pencil 'birds flittering in the tree tops' (flutter and twitter, obviously - it was perfect! I was purely pissed that she had no ear for a brave, new world/word. I think I was ten!) Lots of people don't like made-up words. I don't do it often, but when I do, I love them. 'drippling' just wrote itself - and I gasped, 'Exactly right!'

Graham, I found 'arcanum' one day when I was checking for 'arcane'. I got totally engrossed with 'arcanum' and the ensuing spin of relevance. The idea of the resultant poem began to filter through my brain, phrase by phrase, and would not let me go; I had to do something with it. You have set me a fine challenge with a possible fourth verse. I do not think an explanation of the word is out of place.

Actually, there seems to be no such word as 'arcane'. So where have I picked it up with such 'confidence', having to do with 'ancient' in some way. I'm flummoxed. Any suggestions are welcome.

I do think water is very magical. I think the very idea that I exist is purely 'magical'.

Graham Sherwood

Wed 8th Mar 2017 08:55

A nice idea placing three different "waters" together and unlike Colin I don't have a problem with the initial two lines of each stanza.

However, what I do dislike, strangely, is the repetition of the word arcanum and the need to explain it.

I would have preferred a fourth stanza that included the word that would group 1,2,3 together.

<Deleted User> (13762)

Wed 8th Mar 2017 07:50

this is lovely Cynthia but I am going to dare to swim against the tide of comments and suggest the flow could be improved by breaking those longer lines into two or three apiece to roughly match the third line in each stanza. In so doing I would suggest that it would allow the reader to find pause in a poem which as Raj says is meditative but for me in parts verges on the tongue twister.

I'm going to stick my neck out of the water even further and say that (takes deep breath and jumps from stony height) I'm not that keen on 'drippling'. As a made up word it stands out and is perhaps a little twee but I appreciate that others will like it - just not for me.

Interestingly, this first stanza echoes a scene in something I have been writing of late and your title 'healing waters' fits the sub-plot nicely - those two words may well find themselves included somehow.

I hope you don't mind me adding my thoughts.
All the best
Colin

Raj Ferds

Wed 8th Mar 2017 07:17

Wow, this piece got me in a meditative mood.
I felt cleansed by the "drippling brook".

Suki beat me to it -- I love the word arcanum too.

More please!
Raj

suki spangles

Wed 8th Mar 2017 01:52

A lovely flowing poem, Cynthia. And a lovely new word for me too - arcanum.

Cheers,
Suki

Stu Buck

Tue 7th Mar 2017 18:21

oh how lovely cynthia, you describe the three scenes so vividly that i could taste the salt in the air.

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