Cradle

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Rocking in the cradle on water,
where sky and earth meld,
reflections abound.
Time is suspended on silver
ripples and speaks only
to the river, the rest are
transient, but the blue ribbon
reaches on and on.
The man is grasping loosely,
transposing the story in his eyes
with fingers and brush –
he only wants to catch a moment
with his hands and make it last
forever

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Claude Monet, The Studio Boat, 1876, Oil on canvas

Copyright ©2025 Lisa Paul

This is written in response to the d’Verse Poets Pub: Poetics, Reflections, Reflecting

Merril, the host, challenges us: So, for my prompt today you have two options.

  1. You may write an ekphrastic poem inspired by Claude Monet’s “The Studio Boat.” Your poem does not need to include anything about reflecting or reflections, but it can. AND/OR
  2. You may write a poem on reflection, whatever that means to you—self-reflection, reflection on time’s passing, a reflection in a pool of water, etc.
Poetics: Reflections, Reflecting
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Published by lisaapaul

I’m a paralegal, a widow, mother and grandmother.

Published

44 thoughts on “Cradle”

  4. I’m normally a nut for punctuation. I can see how the finality of a period at the end would be less than satisfactory. I think an ellipse would cheapen your ending, so just ending with no punctuation is a great move! Thank you!

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  5. I really like these lines, Lisa:

    ‘Time is suspended on silver
    ripples and speaks only
    to the river’

    and

    ‘he only wants to catch a moment
    with his hands and make it last
    forever’ –

    yes, capturing a moment in both image and poem.

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