Perspective. Haze and clarity. Both fine things. Watch as the poem embraces the antics of fog. Strong the foreground, as in, what is upon the page and background, hazy. Then a shift, perhaps wind; miraculously the background becomes clearer. Upon a poem’s second reading, what receded, doesn't.
Spice accomplishes the same with food. Chili flakes in the fish stew. Or white peppercorns. Foreground/background. Layers to taste.
And
ReplyDeletein the mystery is the answer
that the question never asks
a floating ring in someone else's pool
and a forgettable tale
she says it does not count
but he does not accept that
so they quell the feud with
flavors, a bounty that once launched
poor boys' dreams of valor
rich girls' fears of death
fortunes that could have cleared the way
if not for mapmakers out of pencil