I found it only once–
a full seashell
floating where waters rescind,
spiraling to the heavens in grandiosity.
I sojourned in the summer months
to Abbaye du Mont Saint-Michel,
a gothic gem
glittering in low-tide generosity.
The blazing sconce
burns bright despite the gale.
The rocky islet’s ornate rim
guards its inner sanctity.
I found faith once,
a dome-shaped bell,
chiming without end
but now its meaning’s lost to me.
© khartless 2021, All Rights Reserved
- Sana is host for tonight’s Poetics – Exploring the realm of French Literature (first stop, Marseille)
- Our task this evening is to write a poem that’s loosely based on French ideals and culture.
- You may opt to share your experience in a poem using the poetic form “Rimas Dissolutas.”
- Popular with 12th and 13th century French poets, rimas dissolutas is a poem that rhymes and doesn’t rhyme.
- For instance, each stanza contains no end rhymes, but each line in each stanza rhymes with the corresponding line in the next stanza–sometimes employing an envoi at the end.
- Join us.
Yard Sale of Thoughts 
Wonderful verse, K. Last stanza amazingness. Picture perfect.
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Thanks, Jeff. I admit to a struggle making the first idea as powerful as the last. I really appreciate your kind feedback.
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You’re welcome, K. Always. I think it worked wonderfully.
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I love this, K: the flow and the lyricism, the imagery, the empty chimes of lost meaning ❤️
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That last line, KK… that was powerful for me.
❤
David
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Thanks, David. It took me a while, but I got there eventually. 💜
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WONDERFUL – how you balance the physical beauty with lack of moral authority, leaving it to the last stanza for the exposé….brilliant.
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Thank you. 😀I wanted so bad to visit this sacred place and it was good to write about it with the clarity of passed time. I appreciate your kind comments greatly.
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Loved this – the form, the rhythm, the message. I gaze at the beautiful picture, and I’m there! 💞
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This is absolutely stellar 😀 and gosh you look so beautiful in that picture! Especially love the image of the rocky islet and its inner sanctity. Thank you so much for writing to the prompt and sharing your memories with us 💝💝
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😊Thank you for all these kind compliments. It was a day to treasure.
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A wonderful poem for the prompt. Well done! Love the seashell imagery for the cathedral!
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Thank you kindly, Dwight.
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You are welcome!
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Beautifully written–I especially love the last stanza and how you merge the physical with the spiritual/memory/loss. It must be an amazing site or sight to see.
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Mont St-Michel has always seemed magical to me, and you share your experience here with that magic I have imagined for it. I especially like your use of the form–one of the best I’ve read afa allowing those end rhymes to chime in musically. Very reminiscent of how I imagine a troubadour. might sing for us.
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Ah, I will bask in the glow of these kind compliments. Thank you kindly, Hedgewitch.
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Love this. The rhymes are clever and I love that last stanza
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Thank you kindly JYP. Cheers to you.
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This place is on my travel list. I’ve been to France three times and still haven’t made it there but I will definitely think of your magical poem now when I see a picture of the place ❤️
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A perfect combination of religious metaphor, symbolism, infrastructure, faith and doubt. I love it.
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Thank you kindly, Sean. I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
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Very beautifully crafted!
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Thank you, Worms. It was a new form for me.
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I really love this… I have very vague memories of visiting there when I was around 10 years old with my family… and then later when I read the Lord of the rings (long before the movies) this is what I thought of when I read about Minas Tirith… love the conclusion of this.
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Oh, sweet connections, Björn. It is that sort of epic moment, and then impossible to not explore. Love to Tolkien connection.
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Poignant tribute to the memory of long-lost faith ❤ Powerful tribute to the majestic wonder of such a famed pilgrimage site.
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Thank you kindly. It’s a memory that will always last to l climb that winding seashell road. 💜
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