Saturday, March 22, 2008

Ouija: A Saturday Poem


Ouija


So I turned to a road atlas, in lieu of your
Vanilla limbs. My finger along interstates
Ran and I said, These are her veins.
In blue, lakes and rivers showed their wet
Spots and again, my fingers, searching,
Sought.

Where is a park, where we can hide away?
I’m not familiar, I complained, and just then
I felt, Ouija-like, an assistance.
Here. Follow me, and
I followed, sleep-walking but never more
Awake. Here, further a bit.

You and I were in Green River.
I said I am a stranger here.
I asked, Those geese, are they always
So loud?
No, you said.
Only when they are confused, or
Undecided.

© Ciprianowords Inc. 2008

9 comments:

  1. I'm usually hyper-critical of poetry, but this is f-in' awesome.

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  2. I like that. It made me think of all the times I've pulled out a map after moving to a new place, looking for a green splotch that signifies "park", destination for one toddler.

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  3. Wonderful. It deserves publication.

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  4. Thank you, one and all.
    Thank you, dear readers.
    It is an awesome feeling to have you read my poems and appreciate them.

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  5. I'm with may. This is one of the most freshly imaged poems I have ever seen. I love the subtlety of the entire poem.

    In Edward Lueder's "Your Poem, Man" he advises making "wild connections" in order to make the reader see things in a fresh way. He says that "nothing really happens" in a poem "unless there's one thing seen / suddenly against another--a parsnip
    sprouting for a President, or/ hailstones melting in an ashtray..."
    And concludes, "Tell it like it never really was,
    man,/ and maybe we can see it / like it is."

    You often do this wonderful, surprising, yet somehow apt, connection.

    Love your blog.

    -- Emma

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  6. Thank you so much, Emma.
    I am at an Internet cafe, and I', about to post a very unfortunate blog!
    MY COMPUTER DIED.

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  7. Cip, love the poem! Fantastic map/body imagery.

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  8. Thank you Stefanie.
    [Can I borrow your computer for a little while?]

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Thank you for your words!