Friday, December 11, 2015

Peaceful Images and Poems

A postcard from Paris' Shakespeare & Company
via Tanya


MERMAID


1.

She does not believe even in herself --
the first prismatic glimpse

of scale caught in the bathroom
mirror, flake of rainbow

she mistakes for a weird scab
Given to picking, she takes the Bic

to it, but it bleeds blue and doubles.
Another, another --


2.

From there to here's a blur. Sky
-scraper horizons then anemone

fields, jellyfish swirling as snow
once did -- carillon orchestras

without noise. It is this absence
of sound she loves and misses

most -- jackhammer at dawn,
another screaming child.

Somehow she made it to the sea.
Something carried her -- full-finned.

I can't even hear myself think
she'd complained, the mystery

now tones as a steal beam
drum: Will I survive? This current

I'm riding, does it feel? Tunnel
of water through water

Mist and foam, white travel.
There is some place we belong.


Lauren Goodwin Slaughter
from a lesson in smallness*

*this book of poetry came in the mail the other day. I ordered it on the advice of someone, but I can't remember who told me about it. Are you out there? Did I read about this beautiful book somewhere? Where? I love it.

Reader, what are you doing?
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5 comments:

  1. Tanya Ward GoodmanDecember 12, 2015 at 5:08 AM

    Oh my goodness. Exactly what I needed. Feel as if I sent you a real postcard and just got a full throated response in my mailbox. Love.

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  2. livDecember 12, 2015 at 12:35 PM

    Sometimes, I think books find you, E. They know, like animals, where they will be protected and loved.

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  3. My life so farDecember 13, 2015 at 7:44 AM

    I like that poem. I'm not one for poetry, mostly I don't understand, but sometimes I get feelings from poems. Feeling I understand and maybe that's the point of poetry, not sure.

    And me, Katie has another staph infection. She's sick and feeling awful. She cries, I cry, we all cry. It's snowing today so it looks lovely, very Christmassy. I'm on my way to check on her to see if she's better or if she needs a trip to emerg and IV antibiotics. I don't like it when my baby doesn't feel good.

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  4. Ms. MoonDecember 13, 2015 at 8:02 AM

    So, so beautiful. How did I miss this one?
    I love what Liv said. Perfectly true.

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  5. A Cuban In LondonDecember 13, 2015 at 2:18 PM

    Beautiful. Me Reading Orwell's The Road to Wigan Pier. As usual, completely out of season.

    Greetings from London.

    ReplyDelete