correspondence with a poet friend
Go here to see Beth’s letter to me. Here is my response:
Beth,
That day in New York, we walked between
naked men, I was right behind you.
It took some courage to follow —
not into them but out of them. I wanted to stay.
Lighting made their skin look like velvet.
I imagined kneeling, pressing my cheek against
their stomachs. It has been a long time since
I have had hair long enough to brush.
I might have turned out pretty, respectable if I’d kept it.
Still, I don’t believe art must be beautiful. It must arouse
something in me. Fear is most important.
I am afraid if I walk away I will never see beauty
again. I am afraid if I look
the sight will haunt me. In my sleep
a skeleton lies on top of me, too. His bones are
my bones. We are all mixed up. The dead puzzle
over nothing. My desire to make everything fit
means I have time for little else. June is
proving to be a month of rain, just like last year.
The field behind the house calls me
to lift my skirt and run. The lashing of tall grasses
delights me so much I may never stop. I may never stop
crying. I trust that you will understand.
~Carolee
Trackbacks
- Poetry and Other Bad Habits » Blog Archive » Letter-poem to a friend, part two
- correspondence with a poet friend #2 « carolee sherwood
- Poetry and Other Bad Habits » Blog Archive » Letter-poem to a friend III
- correspondence with a poet friend, #3 « carolee sherwood
Comments are closed.
Oh my gosh, yes. I’m almost tempted to write back to you tonight but need some time for things to brew. But soon.
This is shaping up to be great correspondence!
thanks, dave!
Hey! Here’s my response: http://www.poetryetcetc.com/?p=384
It’s a mesmerizing conversation. So glad you are letting others read it. So glad.
I love the combination of fear, pain, lashing unlashing.