JULY POETRY

July 5, 2012 Poetry , POETRY / FICTION

 

 

 

 

 

Poets for July : Richard Fenwick, Cheryl D Faison, Emmanuel Sibanda, Laurie Kolp and Peycho Kanev

 

 

 

 

Halfway Point

By 

Richard Fenwick

 

 

She dips an oar from an ash canoe

into the lake’s dark surface,

pulls herself toward its center

to push away the past, or

future, or even tonight’s moon.

 

A fish leaps, concentric circles,

two small branches drift to shore

as her oar cuts deep into the skin

of water, the lake’s thin flesh.

 

Resting it against her thighs,

she glides until each ripple fades,

and wonders if she should return

to their small white dock

 

or complete the lonely journey

to the cottage on the other side.

 

 

 

 

Geography

By

Richard Fenwick

 

 

In anticipation of my birthday,

I’ve decided not to scratch my head

searching for perfect nouns, verbs

to fill an empty space on a page.

I won’t worry about modifiers

or similes that refuse to settle in,

or the scolded child of passive voice.

No, today I will sit to admire

the prints on this wall, the map

posted over my cluttered desk

with its question mark of Africa,

its blue seahorse of Japan,

the stingray and its tail made

from the Aleutians and Alaska.

This is where I’ll wait

for my birth hour, which arrives

each year like summer gossip

to promise ten more winters,

an abundance of more gray hair.

I will leave it all behind

to read Whitman or Paz, perhaps

a bit of George Bilgere,

and after we share a sandwich

with Dutch or Belgian beer,

I’ll return alone to my map

where my mouth always waters

as I taste the bone-in ribeye

that is always South America.

 

 

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13 Comments

  1. Pearl Ketover Prilik August 16, at 00:33

    Agree with many of the comments above - would add there is an ethereal quality to the flow of your words that gives one the impression that they are being heard rather than read - which is quite lovely. Beautiful pieces:)

    Reply
  2. Jacolyne July 07, at 18:05

    Two wonderful pieces, Richard. I love the mystery of Halfway Point, and the humor in Geography. I'd like to more of your work.

    Reply
  3. Mama Zen July 07, at 01:03

    The Costume just achieves the perfect mood. Wow!

    Reply
  4. Laurie Kolp July 06, at 20:02

    Thanks for your kind comments and wonderful support... it means so much to me!

    Reply
  5. Grant Handgis July 06, at 17:02

    Very nice pieces Richard. The flow and meter were soothing and the words filled in as texture. Good to see your poems continue to reach ever more appreciative readers.

    Reply
  6. Ella July 06, at 16:59

    I love how your day unfolded and we can hear your thoughts. They dance with the ordinary is extracted with fragments of your emotions. The disconnect and connects all stirred through your view~ Wonderful! Congrats Laurie :D

    Reply
  7. Sara V July 06, at 16:04

    Laurie such a gift you have for visceral images and outstanding prose. Such beautifully layered stanzas, I delight in reading them again and again. Wonderful!

    Reply
  8. Patricia July 06, at 15:39

    Laurie, like your repetition in The Costume--"sit and sip and sew" so sublime!

    Reply
  9. Claudsy July 06, at 13:43

    Great pair, Laurie. This is one aspect of poetry that I have little talent for. I can't quite seem to get down what it takes to do interpersonal encounters. You've definitely shown marvelous examples of how it's done well. Thank you.

    Reply
  10. De Jackson July 06, at 13:35

    Laurie, these are wonderful. I love the ferocity of The Costume, ending with this soothing rhythm: "I smile, sip my coffee sit and sip and sew–." ...the demon having been exorcised, for now. :) Also love the double play in the title. And the tenderness, appreciation in That Look. Wonderful. Love your work. So happy to see it here.

    Reply
  11. Marie Elena July 06, at 13:31

    Love them both, Laurie, but especially this one. Nice work, as always.

    Reply

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