Of castles and friendship

· by · in dVerse, free verse, poetry. ·


Sometimes friendship’s built
like a castle – brick by brick
and from the spires we can see
vast woodlands and the sea
but just at the horizon
there is another castle.
Its walls are thick and from within
we hear the cheerful voices
from which we are excluded.

Sometimes friendship’s raised
at an instant, like at a cocktail party
you find yourself immersed
in eyes and voices and a warmth
that is forgotten in the morning after.
When all you have: a hangover
and those concerns of what you really did.

Sometimes friendship’s built
with words that are exchanged
in fiber optic cables and on smartphones.
We can build castles or have a drink.
But our footprints still remain,
as traces that can last
across the borders, over time.
And even to the other side,
cause words are like roses
blooming in the castle garden
we can return, and read,
and understand.

Our friendship’s like a castle
open to the winds.
With bricks of words that sing
They are the stars upon the sky
and roses in our castle garden.

Air Castles by Maxfield Parrish

Air Castles by Maxfield Parrish


Today at dVerse we write to honor Dave King by writing poetry on friendship. I knew Dave way to short, but still felt his warmth and skill as a poet coming through his poetry and comments. You are missed, but your words linger.
—
October 10, 2013

56 responses to “Of castles and friendship”

  1. I like the idea of friendship being like a castle built with bricks rather than sand. I love the thought of a castle where “from the spires we can see / vast woodlands and the sea” and of the words that last across borders. You have used a lot of beautiful imagery here Björn especially in the last stanza.

  2. There are many different ways of building friendships, some traditional and some non-traditional. I like ‘bricks of words’ and I like to think of friendships as being constructed of such bricks…not easily blown down by the wind. I also like the idea that words can be returned to (if they are written) and one can find new meaning in them each time, and perhaps even moreso after a person is gone…..

  3. Years ago I marveled at how close we can become to people we may never met in the flesh, like pen pals of old, we of the cyber clan do reach out & share affection, insight, and yes, even a new kind of love. How can this be comes the thunderous inquiry from on high, or perhaps from below–and I would submit that we, as poets, as humans, as extended hearts, arms open, souls accessible, are only now beginning to realize a tiny portion of our inherited potentials.
    Loved your last stanza, & the line /our friendship’s like a castle open to the winds/with bricks of words that sing/ and hey, cousin, you wrote us poetics not mantled in form, in antiquity, directly from your heart; thank
    you, Bjorn.

  13. very nice…i like how you look at each way it could be then bring it back to what it is…we are in new territory you know…friendships with those we never meet in person but can run just as deep….smiles…thanks bjorn…

  15. Bjorn, I agree with you: writing about friendship is very difficult. I tried to generalize and found I was unable to do it. You’ve written a wonderful piece here–with your imagery reinforcing your words.

  16. This is very beautiful and emotionally satisfying. Thank you for sharing your tribute, we may all interact in a digital space but our connections matter. I met my husband through our poetry blogs.

  17. With bricks of words that sing – i love this and the beauty it conveys. Words have the ability to touch the heart and yours do. Lovely tribute.

  18. Bjorn, funny how many different ways we can build those friendships–and excellent write! Really enjoy the poetry connection, and am missing Dave.

  21. Oh those castles! In the air, in sand, in the distance, in the clouds, and on webs of virtual existence–where bricks of words soften blows with friendships very real, true wealth. Very nice.

  26. I must admit to glancing briefly at your words Björn as they arrived in email – focusing more on the realisation that Dave had gone to wherever it is that good poets go.

    I regret this as much as I regret that I did not know Dave better – for there is beauty in your words, a depth of understanding that Dave would have appreciated..

    Kind regards.

    Anna

  27. What a beautiful poem about friendship. How lucky we are to have the opportunity to build “brick upon brick” a meaningful relationship that we will remember always.

  34. Beautiful metaphors here–castles, like friendships, are tricky things. The walls can either forbid closeness, or draw others into the interior. Great work here, this reads so nicely out loud.

  35. “cause words are like roses
    blooming in the castle garden”

    Yes, his words live on, and hopefully will be a comfort to his family and friends. (I may have already linked, but sometimes my phone “misbehaves”)

  39. I haven’t been with dVerse long enough to have known Dave, but he sounds like he was a great guy. How true that some friendships are based on nothing…and fall at the slightest provocation, but some friendships truly stand the test of time.

  41. Yes, words are like roses blooming in the castle garden. And friendship is built brick by brick. Very wise. Thank you.

  42. Strangely what I am drawn to are your images of friendship born of an instant, and am happily thinking back to a time when an instant of shared, suppressed laughter became the basis of a wonderful summer school-long friendship in university.

  44. Yes, there are different kinds of friendships, and I particularly like the description of the cockttail party type. I think your similies of roses and bricks for the fleeting and lasting things works well. It’s comforting to think our garends are all a little lovelier thanks to Dave King and his words.

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