Frequently the woods are pink,
hunched over, shy and nude,
creeping round churned up fields.
Carrion crows, grey as fading ink,
pick at drowned worms, rude
and raucous as they wield
sharp, curved beaks then sink
them into mud, cackling a lewd
caw. Breaks in the treeline reveal
the village church, a chink
of grey stone to lighten the mood,
bobbing on the horizon like a seal.
And then, as the sun begins to sink,
the naked, twilight woods turn pink.
Kim M. Russell, 18th January 2024
Image by Erica Li on Unsplash
A sonnet for Open Link at the dVerse Poets Pub, where Björn is our host. As part of the changes we’ve made to Open Link, we have added an optional mini-prompt; this time it is a line from a poem by Emily Dickinson, ‘Frequently the woods are pink —‘, which I have used as both title and first line.
writing in north norfolk 
Oh, I love how you used the optional mini-prompt… the wonder of a scen when it is painted by twilight overshadowing the greed of carrion crows is wonderful
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I was out yesterday. We went to see The Woman in Black at the theatre, so I went with the mini-prompt. I’m glad I did.
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This is absolutely gorgeous, Kim 😍 I so admire the image, “Breaks in the treeline reveal the village church, a chink of grey stone to lighten the mood.” Dickinson would have loved this poem! 🩷🩷🩷
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Thank you, Sanaa.
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Beautiful use of the Dickinson line, a springboard into a vista of life. Lovely, Kim.
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Thank you so much, Dora.
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This is lovely imaging
Much♡love
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Thank you, Gillena.
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What a sustained chain of rhymes! I love that pinking time of the evening, and it’s always a delight when it happens. As is your final couplet.
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Thanks Jane!
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Great, a real Sonnet, lovely!
Enjoyed it
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Thank you so much!
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Smoothly and beautifully constructed flow, Kim. Thanks
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Thank you, Ron!
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While reading, I was thinking and imagining the dawn over the forest, making everything pink, but then your words lead to Twilight and yes, love that it can work both ways, like encompassing both. Loved the poem!
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Thank you for such close reading, Oloriel.
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You’ve created a magical landscape. (K)
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Thank you, Kerfe.
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Evocative and lovely work!
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Thank you for reading and commenting, Anna!
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Kim, you capture the ephemeral beauty of nature with a subtle shift in tone to portray the transformation from shy and nude to captivating pink… Gorgeous!
~David
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Thank you for such an appreciative comment, David!
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such an excellent response to the prompt Kim – the rural setting at sundown and these lines: “hunched over, shy and nude,
creeping round churned up fields.”
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Thank you, Laura!
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Yes a splendid chain of rhymes Kim – I was not sure at the beginning whether you were describing tee colours in Winter but the image suggests Spring…
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Thank you, Andrew.
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I was waiting to see a poem with the pink sunset for this prompt. It’s appearance is grand and never gets old!
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Thanks Colleen!
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Such a beautifully crafted sonnet, Kim! The details and the changes you convey in the scene, along with the subtle rhymes and lovely flow of the poem are so wonderful. I really love the final couplet!
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Thank you, Merril!
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Oh my gosh, Kim! What a scene you’ve painted. I love this line (all lines, really): “Carrion crows, grey as fading ink.” This is stunning!
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Thanks so much, Colleen!
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I will never think the same bout the woods again after reading your poem of it being naked pink! :>) I love your poem. Very creative use of the prompt. I wonder why crows always get such a bad rap!
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Smiles!
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:>)
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Breathtaking sonnet which matches the art you chose perfectly. Huge sigh of contentment from me.
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Many thanks, Helen.
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Beautifully done. I especially like your ending lines.
“And then, as the sun begins to sink,
the naked, twilight woods turn pink.”
Twilight is my favorite time of day because I love the quality of light as the sun diminishes.
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Thank you, Ali. I love that light too.
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Kim, it was so nice to hear you read this today. Lovely poem with a hint of humor:
“a chink
of grey stone to lighten the mood,”
and what a wonderful ending.
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Thank you, Lisa, and it was lovely to see and hear you.
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❤
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I like! Thank you for sharing your sunset-pink woods.
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Thank you, Priscilla!
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I really enjoyed hearing you read this Kim, I love the interplay between carrion crows and the vulnerability of the pink woods.
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I enjoyed hearing you read this yesterday. What a fantastic response to the “mini” prompt! I love the rhyme scheme. Of course, you had me at crows.
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Thanks so much!
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I loved this!
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Thank you for reading and commenting, Jane!
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