A photo of phlox.‘Simplicity’ by Jeffrey Essmann The Society May 28, 2022 Beauty, Poetry 6 Comments . Simplicity I’m aching for a vague simplicity: Sophistication’s dainties have grown cold And tepid on the plate and suddenly My tastes lean toward a warm sobriety That feels quite new yet somehow very old. I crave the simpleness of early June: Of bridal wreath still on the branch and phlox, Its purpled clusters giddy as a loon; Of life to some sweet secret dear attuned I never could express or quite unlock. The secret still abides though covered long By cares I called adult and schools of thought (Both sometimes right and sometimes very wrong). It’s Mystery, though, that sings the simple song That’s lured me to this place that I’ve been brought. . . Jeffrey Essmann is an essayist and poet living in New York. His poetry has appeared in numerous magazines and literary journals, among them Agape Review, America Magazine, Dappled Things, the St. Austin Review, U.S. Catholic, Grand Little Things, Heart of Flesh Literary Journal, and various venues of the Benedictine monastery with which he is an oblate. He is editor of the Catholic Poetry Room page on the Integrated Catholic Life website. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. NOTE TO POETS: The Society considers this page, where your poetry resides, to be your residence as well, where you may invite family, friends, and others to visit. Feel free to treat this page as your home and remove anyone here who disrespects you. Simply send an email to mbryant@classicalpoets.org. Put “Remove Comment” in the subject line and list which comments you would like removed. The Society does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or comments and reserves the right to remove any comments to maintain the decorum of this website and the integrity of the Society. Please see our Comments Policy here. CODEC News:Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) 6 Responses Margaret Coats May 28, 2022 The first stanza is beautifully complete in itself, yet leads on to the profound association of simplicity with Mystery. And this Mystery is greater than an inexpressible secret that had sweetened life. Concluding the unexplained progression with the speaker’s simple presence in an undefined place is most effective, but the finish might be slightly improved by changing one word to say “place where I’ve been brought.” That is, unless the new place must be a gift brought to the speaker rather than a location to which song lures him. Very subtle! Reply Jeffrey Essmann May 30, 2022 Margaret: Thanks so much for your kind and considered comments on the poem–and especially for your suggestions regarding the final line. I wrestled with it–and probably should have trusted my gut feeling that it wasn’t quite “there” yet–but also feared I might have been overthinking it. Your comment, however, got me to reconsider it, to wit: The secret still abides though covered long By cares I called adult and schools of thought (Both sometimes right and sometimes very wrong). It’s Mystery, though, that sings the simple song That’s lured me to these yearnings unbesought. I like that “yearning” picks up (and, hopefully, buttons) the “ache” and “craving” of the previous stanzas, and “unbesought” retains the flavor of having been brought to an ambivalent location without the previous grammatical gymnastics. I also just think the rhythm’s better. So thanks again. Reply Jeffrey Essmann May 30, 2022 Make that “rhythm”. jd May 29, 2022 I too enjoyed your poem and its sentiments and read it many times but was never quite satisfied with the final line. Though I lack Margaret’s skills in interpretation, “where” is more pleasing to the ear, for this reader, at least. Reply Jeffrey Essmann May 30, 2022 jd: Thanks so much for your appreciation and for your very helpful comment. I’ve done a rewrite on the final line (see above). Thanks again. Jeffrey Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant May 30, 2022 Jeffrey, I’m with you all the way. I’m “aching for a vague simplicity” too. This poem is chock full of exquisite terms, (“Sophistication’s dainties” being my favorite), exquisite images, and a message that connects with me and many others I am certain. Thank you for this admirable poem. It’s been a pleasure to read it. Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Margaret Coats May 28, 2022 The first stanza is beautifully complete in itself, yet leads on to the profound association of simplicity with Mystery. And this Mystery is greater than an inexpressible secret that had sweetened life. Concluding the unexplained progression with the speaker’s simple presence in an undefined place is most effective, but the finish might be slightly improved by changing one word to say “place where I’ve been brought.” That is, unless the new place must be a gift brought to the speaker rather than a location to which song lures him. Very subtle! Reply
Jeffrey Essmann May 30, 2022 Margaret: Thanks so much for your kind and considered comments on the poem–and especially for your suggestions regarding the final line. I wrestled with it–and probably should have trusted my gut feeling that it wasn’t quite “there” yet–but also feared I might have been overthinking it. Your comment, however, got me to reconsider it, to wit: The secret still abides though covered long By cares I called adult and schools of thought (Both sometimes right and sometimes very wrong). It’s Mystery, though, that sings the simple song That’s lured me to these yearnings unbesought. I like that “yearning” picks up (and, hopefully, buttons) the “ache” and “craving” of the previous stanzas, and “unbesought” retains the flavor of having been brought to an ambivalent location without the previous grammatical gymnastics. I also just think the rhythm’s better. So thanks again. Reply
jd May 29, 2022 I too enjoyed your poem and its sentiments and read it many times but was never quite satisfied with the final line. Though I lack Margaret’s skills in interpretation, “where” is more pleasing to the ear, for this reader, at least. Reply
Jeffrey Essmann May 30, 2022 jd: Thanks so much for your appreciation and for your very helpful comment. I’ve done a rewrite on the final line (see above). Thanks again. Jeffrey Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant May 30, 2022 Jeffrey, I’m with you all the way. I’m “aching for a vague simplicity” too. This poem is chock full of exquisite terms, (“Sophistication’s dainties” being my favorite), exquisite images, and a message that connects with me and many others I am certain. Thank you for this admirable poem. It’s been a pleasure to read it. Reply