Beyond

Power of Love

Salt and pepper turn to gray.
Water, wash me all away,
All but love that shines her light
For a journey through the night.

Suffering looks like defeat
Til submission is complete.
Salt and pepper, take this friend.
Guide gray fears beyond the end.

Linked to dVerse Quadrille hosted by Kim from writinginnorthnorfolk.com using the word “pepper”.
Photo: “Power of Love” by the author. This is graffiti I found under a train overpass in Chipilly Woods last weekend. I am linking it to K’lee and Dale’s Cosmic Photo Challenge.  K’lee’s prompt is “Faster than the Speed of Light”.  I hope they will accept it.

Author: Frank Hubeny

I enjoy walking, poetry and short prose as well as taking pictures with my phone.

112 thoughts on “Beyond”

    1. When I wrote it a few minutes ago, I thought I knew what it meant, but now who knows? On the surface there is someone with “salt and pepper” hair who is becoming more gray and is wondering about aging and death. Of course hair coloring can hide some of that. Thanks!

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks, Alison! Hair coloring resolves the superficial part of salt and pepper hair, but there’s more than the superficial. I’m glad you liked the graffiti. I was happy to find it since I immediately thought of K’lee an Dale’s photo challenge. Maybe there is something faster than light!

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    1. I plan to keep entering your photo challenges if I can find something that works, and maybe even if I can’t. That was a rather hard challenge, but enjoyable. You do realize that something faster than light is not likely to photograph well. Thanks!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Ah! Remember though, we leave the door wide open for your interpretation, however you want to express it. This way, there can be no wrong answer. Yes, you have a valid point. Something moving at the speed of light couldn’t be photographed in traditional ways. But slow it down for a second or two and you never know what you’ll see?🌞

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I liked your prompt. It was unusual and kept me thinking about it over the weekend. When I saw that graffiti I thought, “This just might work.” I hope you come up with more like it.

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    1. Thank you! I’m glad you liked the sound. I try to make these poems sound as smooth as possible. I figure if the content doesn’t work, the sound might. If the content does work, the sound just enhances it.

      Liked by 1 person

  12. What incredible wisdom, Frank. Particularly in these lines:

    “Water, wash me all away”
    “Suffering looks like defeat
    Til submission is complete.”

    Now you and I both know, grey (and salt and pepper) is immensely sexy on men, like silver on women.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Hey, Frank, post your photo over at my photography site; I dig it. Busy man, posting poems on more than one site, working it–course that’s what we photographers do all the time. Creativity springing forth like dewy dandelions

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Each reading brings a new level of meaning – the mark of great poetry! Love the photo, too! (Although, I think you should ‘fess up, Frank – that was you with the spray paint the night before, wasn’t it? haha!)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I was asking myself what it would take to make that graffiti. Whoever did this had more talent with spray paint than I have. Taking a photo is something I can manage. I’m glad you liked it!

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you! I like the sound of rhyme and meter. I figure if the poem turns out to not make sense, maybe the sound of it will still be valuable.

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    1. I figure there is no need to be uncomfortable about aging, although staying healthy is important and can be a worry for some. I’m glad you liked it, Sarah!

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  24. I really liked this poem. The lines “Suffering looks like defeat
    Til submission is complete.” struck me in particular and from my perspective was about not only acceptance of mortality but that death can be a relief from suffering.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Yes, death can be a relief. Some people take that option too early when they should take the option of submission. Death comes eventually to all of us. I’m glad you liked the poem!

      Liked by 2 people

  27. A powerful message painted and it makes me wonder about the artist. Salt and Pepper hair part of the cycle of life, but you can cover the signs with a box of magical color.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The hair colors could also be wild like blue with red highlights although I won’t be trying that myself. I’ve wondered who the artist of the graffiti is as well. It is a message I would expect someone in this community would tolerate if not endorse.

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  30. Salt and pepper, take this friend.
    Guide gray fears beyond the end.

    Such depthness in your words, Frank.

    And thank you for the review and for purchasing my book. I appreciate you. It means a lot.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. You’re welcome and thank you. I enjoyed your book. You put together an insightful collection of poems. Although many may have experiences like yours, you were able to express them in a way that resonates with readers.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you so much, Frank. I appreciate your review a lot. And it means a lot to me that you purchased my book. My pen has matured but the feelings there are raw. Thank you again!

        Liked by 1 person

  31. Love the image and the words. And I agree with everyone here, salt and peppery hair does indeed look very classy as opposed to dyeing it some absurd colour.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I am glad you liked it. I try not to make things too cryptic, and I thought I knew what I was writing, but I didn’t understand this after I wrote it either. Thanks, Eugenia!

      Liked by 2 people

  38. layers of meaning here….each time I read it I come up with something different. Salt and pepper….grey hair does not a salt and peppered attitude make 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m glad you liked it, Lillian. I am glad this resonated with you enough that some meaning was experienced, and layers of meaning is even better. Thank you!

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    1. Thanks, Colin! The 44 word constraint is a useful addition to the constraints of rhyme and meter. It forces even more revisions but hopefully the effort is worth it in the end.

      Liked by 1 person

  42. The last line has much depth and a prayerful sentiment. As we turn salt and peppered, the beyond gets closer and hopefully one can resolve the fear inherent in getting older. Love shines the light.

    Liked by 1 person

  46. Salt and pepper, take this friend.
    Guide gray fears beyond the end.

    Sounds very close to a prayer Frank. It is good one relates to the al- Mighty as it will bring good tidings!

    Hank

    Liked by 1 person

  50. I have to read this several times. I like the turn you made in the last stanza. This may be about ageing and suffering, but what I love here is that the person who is ageing and suffering is, in the end, in control of the grey fears.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes, the aging and suffering person is in control of these grey fears although it might not seem possible to control them and perhaps they can’t be controlled without help from the light that comes from love which is also beyond. Thanks, Imelda!

      Liked by 1 person

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