The North Coast times-eagle., January 01, 1987, Page 8, Image 8

T H E N O R T H C O A S T T I M E S E A G L E , J A N & F E B 1987
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L A R S A N D L O IS H O H A N S O N
POETRY
SNOW
S now . T h e n ig h t b r e a t h e s f r o z e n w a te r .
A n e n i g m a : T h e m o o n w ith i t s f a c e of r o c k
a s s u m e s t h e t e x t u r e o f c lo u d . Y o u r w o r k
i s o v e r , a n d t h e p a in , th e v i o l e n t b l a s t
f r o m th e s u n . Y o u k n o w t h a t c o ld is n e a r
w a i t i n g f o r i t s m o m e n t . S t i l l , on a n ig h t
l i k e t h i s , y o u w a lk in to s n o w , r o m a n t i c
a n d u n a f r a i d o f t h e d a r k , th e u n f a m i l i a r
so u n d b e y o n d sh a d o w . S le e p w a lk e r,
y o u a r e s e e k i n g th e p a le s e c r e t of w i n t e r .
W hy it is t h a t s n o w is s o f t a n d b e a u t i f u l .
A nd w hy lo s t m e n lie dow n a n d s le e p
in i t s lo n g w h ite a r m s . Y ou r e m e m b e r
y o u r m o t h e r 's g o o d n i g h t k i s s .
H ow c o o l a g a in s t y o u r s k in , how f r a g r a n t
o n h e r n e c k , th e s c e n t s h e c a l l e d :
e s s e n c e of sn o w p e a o r sn o w d r o p .
Y ou p ic tu r e d f lo w e rs b re a k in g th ro u g h ic e .
T h e a i r is m o i s t fo g a c h i l d b lo w s b a c k
in a d r e a m w h e r e h e b e c o m e s a s n o w y o w l
a b o u t to f e a t h e r a n d g l id e i n to th e n i g h t
a n d a r a d ia n t w h ite n e s s . G lis te n in g sn o w
t h a t p o u r s i t s e l f in to t r a c k s o f m u d
a n d b lo o d , r e p a i n t s th e d e s p e r a t e f a c e
o f h u n g e r . S n o w t h a t c l o s e s th e d o o r
o n y o u r d y in g g a r d e n , th e b u z z in g o f f l i e s ,
a n d th e d u l l c h a n t o f r e l i g i o u s s p a r r o w s :
c a l l s f o r t h th e s h y w i n t e r w r e n ,
s l a t e - c o l o r e d j u n c o , b lu e C a n a d ia n j a y ,
a n d lo v e — a w h ite s e e d t h a t d r i f t s
in i t s l o n e l y p u r s u i t of s o i l , f in d s
y o u r f a c e g a z in g in to th e g e o m e t r i c s h a p e
an d in tr ic a te p a tte r n of c le a r d e s ir e .
SU SA N
VETIVER
A g e s p a s s e d s lo w ly , lik e a lo a d of h a y ,
A s th e f lo w e r s r e c i t e d t h e i r lin e s
A n d p ik e s t i r r e d a t th e b o t to m o f t h e p o n d .
T h e p e n w a s c o o l to th e t o u c h .
T he s ta ir c a s e sw e p t u p w a rd
T h r o u g h f r a g m e n t e d g a r l a n d s , k e e p i n g th e m e l a n c h o l y
A l r e a d y d i s t i l l e d in l e t t e r s o f th e a l p h a b e t .
It w o u ld b e t i m e f o r w i n t e r n o w , i t s s p u n - s u g a r
P a la c e s an d a ls o lin e s of c a r e
A t t h e m o u th , p in k s m u d g e s on th e f o r e h e a d a n d c h e e k s ,
T he c o lo r o n ce know n a s " a s h e s of r o s e s ."
H ow m a n y s n a k e s a n d l iz a r d s s h e d th e ir s k in s
F o r t i m e t o b e p a s s i n g on l ik e t h i s ,
S in k in g d e e p e r in t h e s a n d a s i t w o u n d t o w a r d
T h e c o n c l u s i o n . It h a d a l l b e e n w o r k i n g s o w e ll,.a n d n o w ,
W e ll, it j u s t k i n d o f c a m e a p a r t in th e h a n d ,
A s a c h a n g e is v o ic e d , s h a r p
A s a f is h h o o k in th e t h r o a t , a n d d e c o r a t i v e t e a r s f lo w e d
P a s t u s in to a b a s i n c a l l e d i n f i n i t y .
T h e r e w a s n o c h a r g e f o r a n y th i n g , th e g a t e s
H ad b e e n le ft o p e n in te n tio n a lly .
D o n 't f o ll o w , y o u c a n h a v e w h a t e v e r it i s .
A n d in s o m e r o o m s o m e o n e e x a m i n e s h i s y o u th ,
F i n d s it d r y a n d h o llo w , p o r o u s to th e t o u c h .
O k e e p m e w ith y o u , u n le s s th e o u td o o rs
E m b r a c e s b o th o f u s , u n i t e s u s , u n l e s s
T h e b i r d c a tc h e r s p u t a w a y t h e i r tw ig s ,
T h e f i s h e r m e n h a u l in t h e i r s l e e k e m p t y n e t s ,
A nd o th e r s b e c o m e p a r t o f th e im m e n s e c ro w d
A ro u n d th is b o n f ir e , a s itu a tio n
T h a t h a s c o m e t o m e a n u s to u s , a n d th e c r y i n g
In th e l e a v e s i s s a v e d , th e l a s t s i l v e r d r o p s .
JO H N
ASHBERY
W ATSON
STILL LIFE OF A WINTER EVENING
A WINTER STILLNESS
N o c r e a t u r e s t i r s ; th e t r e e s
H ave lo s t th e i r le a fy so u n d .
E a r th is a t r e s t . T h e c o il
O f s ile n c e is tig h tly w o u n d .
N o k in g le ts now a r e flittin g
A lo n g t h e b a r e h e d g e r o w —
T h is is a tim e w h en s t i l l n e s s
Is w h a t w e n e e d t o k n o w .
N o te th e r o o m , f r a m e d in f i r e l i g h t
A nd sh ad o w . The b ric k h e a rth ,
W h ite c l o t h r u g , tw o c o m f o r t a b l e c u p s
F o r h o l d in g t e a . D o n o t o v e r l o o k
T h e b o o k s , o n e t h i c k , o n e w o r n a n d th in ,
P l a c e d c a s u a l l y a s i f a b o u t to b e
O p e n e d in th e m i d d l e w h e r e
A t i r e d e y e l e f t o ff. O b s e r v e
T h e l a m p , a d i m g o l d e n g lo w
S e e p in g t h r o u g h th e s i l k s h a d e
I n to a y e ll o w p o o l a r o u n d th e c h a i r .
Do n o t n e g le c t th e q u ie t r a t t l e
O f w in d o w s b a t t l i n g w in d , th e h i s s a n d
C h a t t e r o f th e f i r e . D u ll p e w t e r
M u g g in g a n d p l a t i n g i t s w a y a c r o s s
T h e m a n te l, b r a s s a n d iro n s b ra z e n in g
It o u t b e lo w . S n if f th e c e d a r s c e n t ,
S tu d y th e p i c t u r e s in t h e p u l s i n g c o a l s .
S it b e s i d e m e , t o u c h m y h a n d , s m i l e :
F o r e v e r w e h a v e b e e n c a u g h t in ta c t
G a z in g h a p p i l y f r o m t h i s p o e m .
ANNE
L. D A V I D S O N
HENNESSEY, DOUCHE AND McGEE
FUNERAL DIRECTORS
In f r o n t o f H e n n e s s e y , D o u c h e a n d M c G e e
th e s ig n r e a d no p a rk in g .
T h e y w e re a r a t t y o u tfit,
p u t c o r p s e s in b a b y c a r r i a g e s .
A n d t h e n a m a n c l a d o n ly in a d i a p e r
p la y e d on a tr u m p e t,
" B lu e s fo r M r. C h a r lie ,"
a s J u d g e m e n t D a y s u p p o s e d l y r o l l e d in
lik e a w o o d e n n ic k le
o r t h e w r e c k e r 's b a l l k n o c k in g d o w n th e O r i e n t a l T h e a t e r .
W ALT
C U R T IS