Category: Poem-A-Day 2013

revolved triangle

obtuse
scalene
isosceles
acute
equilateral

…right?

hypotenuse!

22 June 2013
Auburn AL

/ / /

I’m writing a poem a day in 2013. During June, each day’s poem will be inspired by a photo of writer Arielle Brousse doing yoga. I’ve been a fan of her writing for years. Arielle writes the Unforgettable Detritus blog and curates The Sensible Nonsense Project, a collection of writing about people’s favorite childhood books. Thank you to Arielle for allowing me to use the photos, and for all the entertaining and inspiring writing she’s done over the years.

108 sun salutations

Bernie, who reads all his library books in the car on the way home
John, who is still excited to see me
Jennifer, who takes care of them and reminds them to love
Gretchen, who has somehow decided not to run away
these four weird walls that surround me and keep me dry and cool
Tina, who gave me a place to land and come in out of the storm
Patrick, who appreciates
Andrea, for many things, including Herman Hesse’s name
Emily, who finds new ways to care
poetry, for giving me a deep well to fill
poetry again, for giving me something to fill it with
music, for repeatedly saving my life
Rachel, who offered me a room of my own
Josh, for inspiration
New York City, in which place I am, finally, at home
my Selmer Mark VI soprano saxophone, for all the years we had together
Kate, for showing me what’s possible
Orion, for being there in the sky even when I forget
Walt, because a blade of grass isn’t just a blade of grass
Nikki, for drawing beauty from pain
Nicky, even though
Matt, for lifting us out of our seats with a snare drum and a smile
Andrea, who remembers what it is to be human
Ken, who puzzles and puzzles till his puzzler is sore
Sally, for apples and peanut butter and a heart like a galaxy
Julie, who smiles even though she knows a lot, or maybe because she does
Sean, whom I’ve never met but feel like I know already
David, for being a good listener
Kevin, for all those odd meters back in the day
Jenn, who is never afraid of the truth
my ears, for not yet giving out
whoever came up with writing
and also whoever came up with language; that was smart
Chelsea, who ignites
Jill, who put Ace Frehley in my bed
Connie, who understood why Walt mattered
Mike, who pushed when I needed pushing
Otto, who understands old souls
Daryl, for food and music and a safe haven
F____, even though
Danny, who does the right thing
Douglas
my eyes, which can’t really see colors, but notice other things
Stevie, because come on, he’s Stevie!
Josh, who keeps the bullshit at bay
Jonathan, for his futon and more
Richard, who has supported the adventure
Matt, for hours of good conversation
David, for singing truth to power
Geoffrey, for reconnecting
Maria, for melody and understanding
Alan, the bird without wings
Carmen, for everthing
risk, without which this would all be so boring
Arielle, for giving me the idea
Sparky, for singing
Cash, for knowing who’s boss (not me)
Rome, for believing
Toni, who sees the good in everyone
this tummy, which apparently digs food a bit more than it should
Carolee, who was there when it mattered
Jill, who writes and dresses better than I do
Avery, who gets it
Dan, who gave me excellent advice
Kim, for wisdom
Andrew, who makes me want to think more
Muhammad Ali, who is the greatest
Lenny, who turned everything around
Naomi, who instantly understood
Scott, whose heart is not wounded
Dave, up there on the mountain
miso soup
Reiko, who was my mom when I needed her to be
Steve, who brought the air weed
Bernard, for the swing
Dorothy, who, at the end, uncovered her heart
Amy, who is a muse
Alyson, even though
Mr. Gautama, who figured out something important
Lindsay, who knows what’s ridiculous and why
Sarah, for the birthday song
Brad, who speaks my language
Art, for half
Linda, for those glowing balls of light
Todd, for KISS and Nova
Lynne, for remembering
Jack, for the nursery rhymes
Chuck, for the canal
Bob, for waving
Wade, for shooting stars and the Moody Blues
Jennifer, for being the first
Wendy, who didn’t follow
tofu, which brings magic happy
Jeff, even though
Don, who’s delightful
Hayden, whose words seeped in
Albert, who makes things out of nothing
Kurt, and so it goes
the sun, which is useful and lovely
the moon, which I’ve always been drawn to
Dan, who treated us like people
gravity, even though I don’t quite know how it works
Lenox, which still feels like a dream
sembe, which may be the best thing on Earth
sweet tea, which is a close second
John, for making me want to play deeper
you, for reading this
me, because I’m still here

21 June 2013
Auburn AL

/ / /

Arielle, who is the subject of my yoga series this month, mentioned today that she and many others are performing 108 sun salutations (a basic yoga sequence) to welcome summer. I thought I could do something similar, so I though of 108 things and people for whom I’m grateful. Of course there are many, many others.

split

into dozens
of different pieces
until
if you’re lucky
you learn
to pull your
self together
to be who you are

21 June 2013
Auburn AL

(Happy birthday, Arielle!)

/ / /

I’m writing a poem a day in 2013. During June, each day’s poem will be inspired by a photo of writer Arielle Brousse doing yoga. I’ve been a fan of her writing for years. Arielle writes the Unforgettable Detritus blog and curates The Sensible Nonsense Project, a collection of writing about people’s favorite childhood books. Thank you to Arielle for allowing me to use the photos, and for all the entertaining and inspiring writing she’s done over the years.

big toe pose

the outer layer is a pinkish stucco
from the time when someone in
this northeastern city thought
southwestern walls would work
behind that a layer of paint or plaster
darker, less welcoming, more honest
dig a little deeper and you’ve exposed
what looks like the wall of a canyon
(picture weighted-down mules following
a trail to the canyon floor)
finally brick, the truth, covered
again and again as if to hide
that this place, like most places
was born from the breasts and backs
of people who worked for a living
you might wonder if any of this matters
given that standing in front of the layers
is someone living in exactly this moment
you might think that although history
is important, it’s still history
you might say that to hold one’s big toe
and find balance for a few moments
is greater than the work of the bricklayers
and architects and stonemasons
you might be right

20 June 2013
Auburn AL

/ / /

I’m writing a poem a day in 2013. During June, each day’s poem will be inspired by a photo of writer Arielle Brousse doing yoga. I’ve been a fan of her writing for years. Arielle writes the Unforgettable Detritus blog and curates The Sensible Nonsense Project, a collection of writing about people’s favorite childhood books. Thank you to Arielle for allowing me to use the photos, and for all the entertaining and inspiring writing she’s done over the years.

utthita parsvakonasana

if all you have
going for you
are two people
who’ll strike a pose
on camera because
they love you
then rejoice
because you have
everything
going for you

19 June 2013
Auburn AL

/ / /

I’m writing a poem a day in 2013. During June, each day’s poem will be inspired by a photo of writer Arielle Brousse doing yoga. I’ve been a fan of her writing for years. Arielle writes the Unforgettable Detritus blog and curates The Sensible Nonsense Project, a collection of writing about people’s favorite childhood books. Thank you to Arielle for allowing me to use the photos, and for all the entertaining and inspiring writing she’s done over the years.

uttihita chaturanga dandasana

oh to eat the chattering
to leave behind the silence
exhale all the breath
till nothing remains
a perfect stillness
rooted to the earth
like the base of a mountain

18 June 2013
Auburn, AL

This posture is more commonly referred to as “plank pose.” Its Sanskrit name means “extended four-limbed staff pose.” The first line of this poem is a play on the phonetic sound of the first two Sanskrit words.

/ / /

I’m writing a poem a day in 2013. During June, each day’s poem will be inspired by a photo of writer Arielle Brousse doing yoga. I’ve been a fan of her writing for years. Arielle writes the Unforgettable Detritus blog and curates The Sensible Nonsense Project, a collection of writing about people’s favorite childhood books. Thank you to Arielle for allowing me to use the photos, and for all the entertaining and inspiring writing she’s done over the years.

crescent lunge

not to attack but to leap
forward into life
with joyous abandon
with the heart open
to the possibility
that happiness may be
our true purpose

17 June 2013
Auburn AL

/ / /

I’m writing a poem a day in 2013. During June, each day’s poem will be inspired by a photo of writer Arielle Brousse doing yoga. I’ve been a fan of her writing for years. Arielle writes the Unforgettable Detritus blog and curates The Sensible Nonsense Project, a collection of writing about people’s favorite childhood books. Thank you to Arielle for allowing me to use the photos, and for all the entertaining and inspiring writing she’s done over the years.

half wheel

we sit
happily
watching
the clouds
while the
horses graze
because
our cart
won’t go

15 June 2013
Auburn AL

/ / /

I’m writing a poem a day in 2013. During June, each day’s poem will be inspired by a photo of writer Arielle Brousse doing yoga. I’ve been a fan of her writing for years. Arielle writes the Unforgettable Detritus blog and curates The Sensible Nonsense Project, a collection of writing about people’s favorite childhood books. Thank you to Arielle for allowing me to use the photos, and for all the entertaining and inspiring writing she’s done over the years.

urdva dhanurasana

I have never assumed this pose
but I also travel through life
with my softest parts
held up high for the world
to do with as it will

14 June 2013
Auburn AL

/ / /

I’m writing a poem a day in 2013. During June, each day’s poem will be inspired by a photo of writer Arielle Brousse doing yoga. I’ve been a fan of her writing for years. Arielle writes the Unforgettable Detritus blog and curates The Sensible Nonsense Project, a collection of writing about people’s favorite childhood books. Thank you to Arielle for allowing me to use the photos, and for all the entertaining and inspiring writing she’s done over the years.

krounchasana

this is the beginning
as the heron emerges
forms on the shape
of a human body
one more reminder
that nothing is created
nothing is destroyed
we simply exchange atoms
each holding their allotment
for a brief time before
scattering them to the universe
to become a bird, a rock
a woman, the space between
the stars

13 June 2013
Auburn, AL

(Note: “Krounchasana” means “heron pose.” In this photo, Arielle is setting up for the pose.)

/ / /

I’m writing a poem a day in 2013. During June, each day’s poem will be inspired by a photo of writer Arielle Brousse doing yoga. I’ve been a fan of her writing for years. Arielle writes the Unforgettable Detritus blog and curates The Sensible Nonsense Project, a collection of writing about people’s favorite childhood books. Thank you to Arielle for allowing me to use the photos, and for all the entertaining and inspiring writing she’s done over the years.

baddha konasana

tap tap tap
on the sole of the shoe
slowly inserting the tack
who does this work anymore?
why mend what can be
easily discarded, cheaply replaced?

because by finding value
in the careful repair
of the mundane
we teach ourselves
to recognize the worth of
everything and everyone

12 June 2013
Auburn AL

(Note: “baddha konasana” is often referred to as “cobbler’s pose” because it mirrors the position taken by Indian cobblers as they work. In the photo, Arielle is in a supine form of this posture called supta baddha konasana.)

/ / /

I’m writing a poem a day in 2013. During June, each day’s poem will be inspired by a photo of writer Arielle Brousse doing yoga. I’ve been a fan of her writing for years. Arielle writes the Unforgettable Detritus blog and curates The Sensible Nonsense Project, a collection of writing about people’s favorite childhood books. Thank you to Arielle for allowing me to use the photos, and for all the entertaining and inspiring writing she’s done over the years.

tree
(for Arielle and Dre)

the robe and mortarboard
signifying completion, achievement
a broadening of possibilities

on her left hand the ring he gave her
when they decided that facing tomorrow
together was better than facing it alone

there comes a time when the past
loses its hold on us, when
we are pulled forward by the future

in tree pose, one foot is lifted off the ground
because while we remember our roots
we refuse to let them claim us

11 June 2012
Auburn AL

/ / /

I’m writing a poem a day in 2013. During June, each day’s poem will be inspired by a photo of writer Arielle Brousse doing yoga. I’ve been a fan of her writing for years. Arielle writes the Unforgettable Detritus blog and curates The Sensible Nonsense Project, a collection of writing about people’s favorite childhood books. Thank you to Arielle for allowing me to use the photos, and for all the entertaining and inspiring writing she’s done over the years.

low plank

it sounds silly, plank
it means “flat” in Latin
a board or a piece
of a party platform
(speaking of “bored”)

with a cutlass and
an eyepatch it takes on
a whole new meaning,
ending in water as
the ship sails out of view

one finger, then two, then
three like in the cartoons
I never understood that
if you have the presence
of mind to count, why not swim?

in Burt Dow, Deep-Water Man
Burt’s boat takes on the colors
of the rainbow, each plank
a reminder of a neighbor
or a job well done

it’s a long book, one neither of
my kids ever had the patience for
but sometimes I’d finish it myself
after they’d fallen asleep
their breathing like a gentle surf

10 June 2013
Auburn, AL

/ / /

I’m writing a poem a day in 2013. During June, each day’s poem will be inspired by a photo of writer Arielle Brousse doing yoga. I’ve been a fan of her writing for years. Arielle writes the Unforgettable Detritus blog and curates The Sensible Nonsense Project, a collection of writing about people’s favorite childhood books. Thank you to Arielle for allowing me to use the photos, and for all the entertaining and inspiring writing she’s done over the years.

bakasana

as she floats above the table
I hear my name in Sanskrit
my mind flies like my namesake
back to that river in Yokohama
we walked along it every day
hundreds of times, never seeing
a single bird that would justify its name
the word for “crane” in Sanskrit
means “stupid” in Japanese
I’ll try not to take it personally

9 June 2013
Auburn AL

(Note: “bakasana” means “crane posture” or “crane seat.” The river referred to is the Tsurumigawa, which means “See Crane River.” Finally, “baka,” which means “crane” in Sanskrit, means “stupid” in Japanese.”)

/ / /

I’m writing a poem a day in 2013. During June, each day’s poem will be inspired by a photo of writer Arielle Brousse doing yoga. I’ve been a fan of her writing for years. Arielle writes the Unforgettable Detritus blog and curates The Sensible Nonsense Project, a collection of writing about people’s favorite childhood books. Thank you to Arielle for allowing me to use the photos, and for all the entertaining and inspiring writing she’s done over the years.