So powerful in its elongated "falling" form, its metaphor of "a cracked robin’s egg disgorging black swans," the poignancy of "some say" before the beautiful final line. Thank you for writing and sharing this today, as my own thoughts lean toward "praying backward."
Thanks, Janie. The poem, like so many of mine, is syllabic. I was working here, for the first time, with Richard Howard's 7/10/10 tercets (modeled, of course, on the syllabics of Marianne Moore).
I have carried this poem with me all day, trying to imagine how to write a comment. To me, each word of this poem holds the space. It is spare, and deep. So much is expressed in these words, in these spaces between words. so I say wow. just wow. oh! and thank you. xo
I thought about this poem all day yesterday, intimidated by how I could ever make a comment. It seems to me this says it all. Feels circular, round, to me in some (odd) way. An astounding poem.
Thank you for reposting this, X.P. This is such a powerful poem. I think we all remember where we were that morning, what we were doing. I can remember just standing in front of the TV watching people jump.
So powerful in its elongated "falling" form, its metaphor of "a cracked robin’s egg disgorging black swans," the poignancy of "some say" before the beautiful final line. Thank you for writing and sharing this today, as my own thoughts lean toward "praying backward."
blue perfection was a cracked robin’s egg
disgorging black swans
oh my, yes
and this:
outside time’s ambit the zone where some say
we can pray backwards they were not alone
We were living in Denver. One of my daughters was downtown, in class, when they began to evacuate downtown. The ripple of fear across the country.
This is gorgeous work. The lines, the lineation, the spacing. Taking us back to that very hard day.
and this: the bright face of burning empire
burning still
🔥
Thanks, Janie. The poem, like so many of mine, is syllabic. I was working here, for the first time, with Richard Howard's 7/10/10 tercets (modeled, of course, on the syllabics of Marianne Moore).
One of your best. Not a moment of cliché. No worries on that with you! Powerful, moving, exquisite.
Beautiful and terrifying
That last line.
I like the riff and language running through -almost the national anthem falling away as it has since then
It certainly has, along with a number of items in the Bill of Rights. And for what?
I have carried this poem with me all day, trying to imagine how to write a comment. To me, each word of this poem holds the space. It is spare, and deep. So much is expressed in these words, in these spaces between words. so I say wow. just wow. oh! and thank you. xo
I thought about this poem all day yesterday, intimidated by how I could ever make a comment. It seems to me this says it all. Feels circular, round, to me in some (odd) way. An astounding poem.
Thank you for telling me. Such a rich and generous response. ❤️
Striking! Well-done and glad you found me through my essay on 9-11.
Haunting
Such a powerful piece. thank you!
Thank you for reposting this, X.P. This is such a powerful poem. I think we all remember where we were that morning, what we were doing. I can remember just standing in front of the TV watching people jump.
Even in Seattle, where I was getting ready to go to my job downtown, we worried that nowhere was safe. Horrifying.
Your poem has stayed with me all day. It is so beautiful and sad.
Thank you so much, Margaret Ann. Yours with me as well.
That means a lot. Thank you.