Poem Found On The Old Gray Lady
Well-hydrated romance
defined by a legacy
he couldn’t outrun
trailing my heart
pushpin by pushpin
in patterns of coincidence
then slice of life in a cave
when a dog disappears
the man seems lost
chimps eat, scratch, groom
hopscotching from one
block of ice to the next
a sketch artist animates
a fraternity of bumblers.
I love the first line, and the rest is provocative to my puzzled eyes!
ReplyDeleteDear Beatrice, Thank you for taking the time to reply. I didn't design it to provoke, although I was provoked myself after reading a piece in the New York Times newspaper (nicknamed 'The Old Gray Lady") several months ago. I selected a few choice phrases from the article and fashioned a poem from them. As it then sometimes happens, the poem changed into something else as soon as the title and the images locked into place. When I imagined the poem was discovered on an old homeless woman, perhaps sadly gone from this life - and when I thought about what sense can be made from any poem like that? If the lines of a life should ever be collected in bags or trolleys - were they only a few thoughts on a poem, or were they the poem itself? Does madness look like this from the outside? I hope this hasn't confused you further. Rob
Deletethanks for the explanation Rob, it sheds some new light on your poem and enhances the potential of meaning(s) which is great!
ReplyDelete