hymn to Apollo

hymn to Apollo
by Michael R. Burch

something of sunshine attracted my i
as it lazed on the afternoon sky,
golden,
splashed on the easel of god . . .

what,
i thought,
could this airy stuff be,
to, phantomlike,
flit through tall trees
on fall days, such as these?

and the breeze
whispered a dirge
to the vanishing light;
enchoired with the evening, it sang;
its voice
enchantedly
rang
chanting “Night!” . . .

till all the bright light
retired,
expired.

This poem appeared in my high school literary journal; I believe I was around 16 when I wrote it.

Reviews

[John the Baptist]

Quite a mature offering for a 16 y/o. On the surface it is an artist's impression of a natural phenomenon, nightfall. Looking deeper, however, it could be seen as a meditation on death. The terms dirge, phantom like and expired are not there by accident. Loved the image, "easel of God."

[Michael R. Burch]

Yes, the dirge is a clue that the poem is an extended metaphor. When I started writing poetry around age 13-14, most of my early poems were about the passage of time, loss and approaching death.

[Brina]

I really love the phrase "splashed on the easel of god" :) a very nice poem

[Michael R. Burch]

Thanks, I'm glad you liked my poem. It was published in my high school literary journal, so it was one of my first published poems.