For Monika...my friend and fellow misfit! ;)
My nature is dual:
I am of a land of ice and snow
that freezes the blood,
yet also of a country of drizzle and mist -
a green place, temperate and overpopulated.
I was conceived beneath Finland's midnight sun,
then planted in England's fertile plain.
My duality linked two lovers
barely able to speak
each others language -
except through my genes.
I cannot tell whether
I am dark or fair.
Should I wear chunky knits
or delicate silks?
Will I tan easily
or burn to a cinder
in a rare English heatwave?
They call me British, but
these crowds frighten me -
prompt a craving for the vast open spaces
of my maternal land:
those barren wilds that endlessly call
through ancestral echoes
to my evolutionary Soul.
An identity crisis looms
like a lengthening winter shadow:
Who is this person in the mirror
whose feet leave imprints
in British soil?
Has she any right to be here?
She is certainly no thoroughbred,
so is she mongrel?
Perhaps...
for I do speak English
while thinking in Finnish.
Does this, then, deem me impostor?
Or simply a cultural conundrum:
identity unknown?
My nature is dual:
I am of a land of ice and snow
that freezes the blood,
yet also of a country of drizzle and mist -
a green place, temperate and overpopulated.
I was conceived beneath Finland's midnight sun,
then planted in England's fertile plain.
My duality linked two lovers
barely able to speak
each others language -
except through my genes.
I cannot tell whether
I am dark or fair.
Should I wear chunky knits
or delicate silks?
Will I tan easily
or burn to a cinder
in a rare English heatwave?
They call me British, but
these crowds frighten me -
prompt a craving for the vast open spaces
of my maternal land:
those barren wilds that endlessly call
through ancestral echoes
to my evolutionary Soul.
An identity crisis looms
like a lengthening winter shadow:
Who is this person in the mirror
whose feet leave imprints
in British soil?
Has she any right to be here?
She is certainly no thoroughbred,
so is she mongrel?
Perhaps...
for I do speak English
while thinking in Finnish.
Does this, then, deem me impostor?
Or simply a cultural conundrum:
identity unknown?
An interesting piece that I enjoyed reading.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Love love, Andrew. Bye.
Thank you Andrew...so much :)
Deletebeautiful poem :)
ReplyDeletethanks !
Many thanks Rajiv!
DeleteI really like your blog too :)
Ygraine,
ReplyDeleteRose is still sleeping so I have a minute to visit.
It's always a joy to read your poetry. I am sure your friend Monica will like this one.
Great poem :)
Sorry to have not visited in a while, just not feeling very well.
Margie
xo
Oh I do so hope you are feeling better soon.
DeleteYou are constantly in my thoughts dear friend xxx
*Monika*
ReplyDeleteScandinavian spellings!! ;)
DeleteI have pondered "who am I" many times over. But I could never write it so beautifully as you have here, my friend. I enjoyed this so much~
ReplyDeleteJan
xoxoxo
Yes...an almost universal pondering, I imagine. I once believed it was just me ;)
DeleteThank you so much, Jan xxx
This was a very lovely write Ygraine!
ReplyDeleteMany thanks, Keith.
DeleteSo happy you liked it! :)
Wonderfully done. Aren’t we all mixed in someway, trying to define all that makes us who we are.
ReplyDeleteI reckon you are right Anthony...it does seem we all question who we really are at some time in our lives - only some of us more than others!;)
DeleteMany thanks :)
the best of both worlds maybe? smiles.
ReplyDeleteits interesting to think of all that went into making us
each adding a bit to the flavor....we are though
in the end what we choose to be.
i hope you have a wonderful weekend....smiles.
What a wonderfully positive thought...yes...we really can be what we choose to be, can't we?!
DeleteJust requires a little confidence:)
Yes...you have inspired me...thank you so much!
Hope you are having a great weekend too...
ReplyDeleteIdentity crisis before the self realization perhaps…
Oh I do hope so...
DeleteMany thanks :)
still lost in the crisis?
Deletetime up :)
For the rest of my life, I think! *smiles*
Deletea natural conundrum...and I can't help but wonder who are we? whom have we been? a Soul can only evolve I wonder was I ever I monster? I think you might have been a siren :) was it your unknown spirit that wrote it the first time, indeed Ilove this!!!
ReplyDeleteI often wonder about those same things too...who have I been...who am I now...who will I be???
DeleteYou can tie yourself in knots, can't you?
No...somehow I can't see you ever having been a monster (you are far too evolved a Soul for that)...nor me a siren. I am far too lacking in confidence! *smiles*
Thank you so much, Lorraine xxx
very brilliantly written :-)
ReplyDeleteMany thanks Celestial.
DeleteHope you are having a good weekend :)
Excellent poem! I think we all must feel like this at certain times in our life! Love these words!
ReplyDeleteMany thanks!
DeleteI really appreciate that :)
Lindo poema dedicado para Monika, saludos.
ReplyDeleteThank you Boris...so much :)
DeleteWow Ygraine! This is brilliant stuff girl! wow!
ReplyDeleteOh thank you, Rose...you are so kind and I appreciate that so much :)
DeleteStrong and passionate. There's a lot of pride in your poem. I felt it. may thanks.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from London.
Many thanks...I truly appreciate that:)
ReplyDeleteIf I were to analyze my reason for writing this, I guess I'd say it was to express my life-long struggle to believe in myself...to accept all that I am, unconditionally...and to lose the self-criticism that I am prone to!
Monika and I understand each other perfectly...we view life through the same perspective lens!! *smiles*