The Rainbow of Life

by vox nihili

Published December 10, 2008

In works

I wrote this while watching the documentary Planet Earth. It's a really good show....Anywho, 'Rainbow.'

........
The flourish of color
That graces the dull grey branches
Is only a shadow
Of the amazing depths
Of forests around the world
Our world secretes so many
Varieties of life
That they seem to flow out past all boundaries of phylum and species
From birds dancing in frenzied arrays of feathers
That glow brilliantly in the faint light of the forest’s understory
To the majesty of the breaching whales,
Water shimmering in the arctic summer sun
Striped hooved figures move in scores
Over the wet, flooded savannas, cerulean skies reflected on the waters that embrace the verdant plains
The wild thrill
Of the arctic wolf’s cry
That echoes
Over wide open snows
The thunder
Of hooves
Over the spacious plains
In blurs of white, brown black and bay
Travel around the world
To the African plains
And see the ragged lean figures of the wild dogs,
That search with keen eyes and noses
The svelte silhouettes of the impala
That leaps in great bounds
Over the brush
As the waters flow
Over rocks and stones,
To cascade in the highest fall
In the Venezuelan rain forest,
All stops
As a bird gives a single feral cry
That seems in an instant to capture the untamed notions and graces
Of the cobalt snow and jade orb
That whirls through the unending, impending darkness and glitter of the universe
...........
Whadya think? (feedback welcomed) ;)

Comments & reviews · 4
User avatar
bagelbaby
Review
bagelbaby wrote a review Review · Nov 24, 2011

I really like the imagery you used in this poem. However, can a bird really sound feral? I wouldn't think so, but that's just my opinion. Maybe in yours, a bird can sound feral, that's not something I would know. Also, you didn't use much punctuation at all. Maybe you could put in some commas or periods at the end of sentences? Just a thought. But over all, the majestic feel of this piece is amazing and definitely does not go unnoticed. Keep up the good work :)

Angels-Symphony wrote a review Review · Jan 4, 2009

vox nihili wrote:I wrote this while watching the documentary Planet Earth. It's a really good show....Anywho, 'Rainbow.'

........
The flourish of color
That graces the dull grey branches
Is only a shadow
Of the amazing depths
Of forests around the world
Our world secretes so many
Varieties of life
That they seem to flow out past all boundaries of phylum and species
From birds dancing in frenzied arrays of feathers
That glow brilliantly in the faint light of the forest’s understory
To the majesty of the breaching whales,
Water shimmering in the arctic summer sun
Striped hooved figures move in scores
Over the wet, flooded savannas, cerulean skies reflected on the waters that embrace the verdant plains
The wild thrill
Of the arctic wolf’s cry
That echoes
Over wide open snows
The thunder
Of hooves
Over the spacious plains
In blurs of white, brown black and bay
Travel around the world
To the African plains
And see the ragged lean figures of the wild dogs,
That search with keen eyes and noses
The svelte silhouettes of the impala
That leaps in great bounds
Over the brush
As the waters flow
Over rocks and stones,
To cascade in the highest fall
In the Venezuelan rain forest,
All stops
As a bird gives a single feral cry
That seems in an instant to capture the untamed notions and graces
Of the cobalt snow and jade orb
That whirls through the unending, impending darkness and glitter of the universe
...........
Whadya think? (feedback welcomed) ;)


I like the imagery here, but it's seems unconnected and doesn't flow correctly. Some parts are too long and you should break it up.

User avatar
WaterVyper
Review
WaterVyper wrote a review Review · Jan 4, 2009

Wow. This was nice. In some parts, it seemed a bit too scientific, and that took away some of the beauty. That's only in my opinion, of course.

As a bird gives a single feral cry


Sorry, but I can't imagine a bird sounding feral. Wolves, yes. Lions, tigers, and bears (oh my), yes. But birds... not really. Maybe piercing or haunting would work better.

The length of the lines are inconsistent, and I'm not sure if that helps or hinders. Also, there's a distinct lack of punctuation. Maybe you should put in commas or periods at the end? Overall, this captured a lot of majesty. I like it. A lot.



Why should Caesar just get to stomp around like a giant while the rest of us try not to get smushed under his big feet? Brutus is just as cute as Caesar, right? Brutus is just as smart as Caesar, people totally like Brutus just as much as they like Caesar, and when did it become okay for one person to be the boss of everybody because that's not what Rome is about! We should totally just stab Caesar!
— Gretchen Wieners