she walks in beauty.

"poetry is the rhythmical creation of beauty in words." - edgar allan poe

today i wandered the discounted isles of borders book store as they prepared to shut their doors for good. the shelves still bore plenty of books, bits of wisdom, romance, science, and sorrow simply waiting to be plucked off the bookcase and have their contents scaled by the eyes of an enthusiastic reader. i meandered throughout the various sections passing the travel section with a hint of longing. as i kept walking i came upon additional classifications: history, fiction, spanish, and at last poetry. without second thought my body turned as if magnetically pulled to the shelves boasting elliot, yeats, thoreau, cummings, frost, poe, and dickinson. as the eyes of a lover gaze at the object of his affection with warm intimacy, so mine own eyes fell upon the compilations of poems. i longed to know each verse and rhyme, to imagine them painted into life within the canvases of my mind. my fingers grazed the soft bindings pausing at one particular collection of poems of which i soon found myself devouring. moments, perhaps lifetimes, later i awoke from my poetry induced coma and reluctantly set the beloved book in its rightful place on the shelf, promising to one day return for it.

she walks in beauty painting by isa d'arleans

of the poems that graced my mind today, here remains one of my favorites:

she walks in beauty
  -lord byron (george gordon)

she walks in beauty, like the night
  of cloudless climes and starry skies;
and all that's best of dark and bright
  meet in her aspect and her eyes;
thus mellowed to that tender light
  which heaven to gaudy day denies.


one shade the more, one ray the less,
  had half impaired the nameless grace
which waves in every raven tress,
  or softly lighten o'er her face;
where thoughts serenely sweet express,
  how pure, how dear their dwelling-place.


and so on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
  so soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
the smiles that win, the tints that glow,
  but tell of days in goodness spent,
a mind at peace with all below,
  a heart whose love is innocent!