I just spent the weekend with my husband in a workshop called The Abyss. It’s one of the Mastery of Self-Expression workshops. I have to say, I haven’t had that much fun with a group of complete strangers in a long time. My mouth hurt from laughing so much and smiling so hard. I told Baby it was like kindergarten for Adults.
For me the workshop was about being present in the moment. That’s the only place you can really live.
~ ~ ~
This week’s poem isn’t a dropped page. It’s an included page from Her Red Book. It was randomly selected by Baby for the train tonight.
On the Day of the Great Miracle
She takes a cat’s eye view of birds
standing on the beach like so many refuges
waiting for the great beast
or angel or other end of the world
The form of the deity in her head
full of priceless compassion
If they had hands
they would be sailors
It’s already a miracle she thinks
That they can just be just wait
for the coming of the sea
Behind her the drift of road and vehicle
and the details of dreams
mornings of lemon pulp
afternoons of train conductors
evenings of kitchen drawers
Her liver and chest tight with the
poison of to-do
Today is Sunday and a new yellow stone
Yesterday a sliver of moon with hot and sour soup
A year ago this sun and sky and earth and birds
posed at the edge of the beach
with nothing on their minds
no words of regret on their beaks
Jump on the poetry train.
Good morning from the other side – the mean, nasty, broke, and occasionally genius contiguous 48 – Seattle to be exact. Looks like I’m going to have a great time reading through your site, and coming up with 5 questions. But, it’s the dentist this morning, and hopefully your 5 this afternoon.
no hurry! I look forward to seeing what you come up with! Thanks for the idea.
I lose a lot of time when I stumble across one of your poems. I start reading and fall in there somehow…and I come out the other side what-seems-like-hours later!
I love “If they had hands/they would be sailors” 😉
angie… lol! i can advertise my poems as mini time-travel devices. 🙂
Liked what angie said!
LOL!
Poetry Train: nature rules
Oh my, that first line! It blew me away, whew. (Made me grin wide, too.) And the third stanza, memorable. I see the birds — their posture, particularly — through the eyes of the woman in the poem. Cheers.
tight with the poison of to-do – excellent phrase. This poem contains layers of lovely.
Thanks, S.L. It was several years ago, but I remember the day.
Tumblewords… “layers of lovely” (grin!)
Thanks, S.L. It was several years ago, but I remember the day.
Tumblewords… “layers of lovely” (grin!)
I still have to mail your book, Tumble, I’ll do that first thing next week if i can’t get to the P.O. tomorrow.