Thursday, May 21, 2009

murmurs from a perfect afternoon

i. drifting into that hermetic seal

the picket fence stands proudly unwashed
in the three trunk hemlock afternoon:

it is all held together by wispy cables
and the dreamy embroidery of soapy eyelets-
those painted threads of yellow, green, and rust
that are all inside a glassed-washed afternoon:
the clearing fog of then and now and when.

a tempting little drip will propel the suspect elders
to wander into the white promise of the warping slats.

ii. the trifurcation is an amusement that briefly matters

she dances in the chartreuse lemon spring,
is the green summer of our frothing joy-

she flutters again in orange leaves,
that, saintly, burst and burn in autumn:

ironic words of appreciation always seem to fail
in a way that is pervasive and, oddly, geometric
on the tear-stained Appian Way of patio pavers:

there are many things that cease to matter
in the Euclidian formulae of wind-swept leaves.

yet, we try, and try again, to simply find the point.

iii. back to the idle rust of dropping cones

each shadowy dot of near and distant leaves
is bartered by the tricky once-washed slats,
traded for a moment that waves good-bye, well met:
saplings proudly foil the coniferous quivering-

the compost can, always, existentially blue,

a calming retreat from the obscenity of now
that is telegraphed by this obstinate relic-

boasting of a clarity almost reached
if, indeed, it was reachable at all.

the rest just freezes,
impotent in the set of choices and meanings-

what is the course beyond the fence?

through the unwashed slats there is only:

the soothing green of the distance mown,
the windy rhythm of dappled seed,
the promise of pale berries, lush and sown.

11 comments:

  1. Gerry,

    I really enjoyed reading this poem. It is truly original and unpredictable. Your imagery and unconventional eye for details such as "the dreamy embroidery of soapy eyelets" are interesting.

    And the cool rythm! Yes, I can imagine this being read in a City-Lights-Book-kind-of-setting.

    Keep posting!

    /Jenny

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  2. Jenny: Thanks so much for the positive comment. Just some idle scribbling on a lazy afternoon. Glad it gave you some reading pleasure.

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  3. A perfect murmur... lemon spring.... green summer... orange leaves...
    the triad of womanhood. Brilliant and sensitive.

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  4. Hmm, Gerry, I have been reading this ever since you posted it. Yes, you read that right. And, I am still decoding this one. I am taking longer than I should be. Probably, I am over-thinking this one mate.

    As always, a strong piece. And, as Jenny spotted, quite unconventional. I am a fan already now!!!

    Keep writing!!! Visit me spot sometimes mate!!!

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  5. Bros: Thanks. Obvious poetry is so, well, obvious. Reality is too complicated for me to express myself otherwise. Hopefully, you find the decoding ultimately rewarding. At the end of the day, the poem only exists in the mind of reader.

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  6. This is so freaken pleasant I don't know what else to say, "orange leaves, that, saintly, burst and burn in autumn."

    And then "the idle rust of dropping cones." I'm held in those images and don't want to move.

    You do like the fence, don't you. Have you a fence that you sit by and think, or is there someone or something just beyond?

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  7. We try again and again to simply find the point.

    Yes. Loved reading this! Thank you.

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  8. There is a ‘cycle’ quality about this poem. My interpretation:
    i. beckoning
    ii. rumours
    iii. enlightenment

    Sterling stuff :)

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  9. CathM: That is a wonderfully insightful interpretation. The best part, for me, in these little scribbles, in when a reader makes me think more deeply of the words and meaning. I really appreciate that you have taken the time to apply some mental muscle to my simple words. With your insight, I can go back and "re-enjoy" my own writing. I am still somewhat astounded that people read anything I write. Yikes. Hard to thank you enough. Sterling comment.

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  10. You always take me on a ride with your words.New avenues explored within my brain.
    I am loving the combination of 'nature' and 'human' thoughts/experiences that I feel when reading your words.

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  11. Your mind is intense. :) You leave me Googling for answers yet you say I freak YOU??
    As I quietly return to the reading of your Euclidi.ously complex Nature of Art. I dig a man who can say Groovy and mean it. Hugs! ;)

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Yes?