Minimum of two – poet & reader. Sometimes poet & reader coincide.
Still two voices. Think of it as public & private.
Not sure why I remember this. At a dinner party a poet-friend gave voice to vegetables. One of her best performances, totally out of character and believable. Eggplant will never be the same. Consider, Georgia O’Keeffe’s small painting of the same. Think of my favorite Thai restaurant, Jitlada, and Chef Pai’s way with eggplant. Like I said, two voices.
Up along the River
ReplyDeleteTwo times, no maybe three, he dove
from the rocks into the cold water
clear as a question you ask out of fear
in the morning, rusty from sleep
He had breakfast of pancakes and even
a slab of bacon fixed by his grandma
She of the adoring arms and broken foot
rushing out to greet him, slipping on the snow
All was well in the forest that day
with no mother and father to grieve him
Just the aching rush of cold water
and the questions he most wanted to ask
It was true he had many worries
and many shortcomings as they told him in school
But also he was blessed by a good heart
and lack of complications concerning one's soul
He sat on the rock for a good while
and then went home to face them, tearing
apart his future as they used up their time