[Inspired by “Dwellings” a photograph by Angelia Perkins]
Relying on frame and curve,
knowing about impermanence
and loss,
the maker is a temporary tenant
dwelling within line and arc,
only as long as filament
can hold the heave
and sway.
Her abandoned dwelling,
not quite in ruins,
glistens with rainwater
in front of a fading relic,
depending on accident
and an imperfect geometry
that once set a whole
community to work.
Sharing more than geography
and season,
an acre’s ephemeral neighborhood
reminds:
what lasts will not last forever,
and what goes away is worth noticing
before being lost.
I'd like to see the photo!
ReplyDeleteI like the way you are playing with form in these last three poems. Are you purposely doing this, or is it just happening as you write?
This:
the maker is a temporary tenant
dwelling within line and arc,
only as long as filament
can hold the heave
and sway.
is very very good.
Also, the ending, which delivers (without being heavy) a serious message. It's got that punch at the end. Very good!
So I spotted you working on this the other day and decided to use my free afternoon today (No differentiation class! Woo!) to do a little creeping. And I'm really glad I did, because there's some really cool stuff on here (although I'm not surprised based on the writing you've shared with me). Apparently, another happy little by-product of my random placement in your classroom is that due to the extra free time, the world outside 231 gets to hear your voice, and that's a very good thing.
ReplyDeleteI hope I'm not crashing the party or playing the role of kid sister pouting outside the treehouse, but I've been kicking around the idea of an honest-to-goodness blog for awhile, and between my reading this afternoon and the new beginnings of my career, I've been inspired. I gave you a shout-out in the inaugural post. :)
Also, I'm glad you went with "an acre." Kooser might find that kind of choice limiting, but I think it speaks volumes. See you in the morning!