More details over at ambermoggie’s blog and at branches up. (The poems I’ve posted in previous years: 2006, 2007, 2008.)
This poem by John Ashbery (1988) is the inscription on Siah Armajani’s Irene Hixon Whitney Bridge (Walker Sculpture Garden, Minneapolis).
And now I cannot remember how I would
have had it. It is not a conduit (confluence?) but a place.
The place, of movement and an order.
The place of old order.
But the tail end of the movement is new.
Driving us to say what we are thinking.
It is so much like a beach after all, where you stand
and think of going no further.
And it is good when you get to no further.
It is like a reason that picks you up and
places you where you always wanted to be.
This far, it is fair to be crossing, to have crossed.
Then there is no promise in the other.
Here it is. Steel and air, a mottled presence,
small panacea
and lucky for us.
And then it got very cool.
“That was nice, Mom.” -Chaos
Nice! This is my 4th year as well.. I was just too lazy to pull up my other posts. Apparently I was too busy looking up the weather forecasts of fat little rodents.
Beautiful.
Chris- Good choice. Is it that time of year already?
Love this Chris:) I think this is my fourth year also:)
I posted too –
http://tinyurl.com/ck9obo –
I love these lines:
But the tail end of the movement is new.
Driving us to say what we are thinking.
Love this. Love the last line.
Yes, that was very nice.
“Driving us to say what we are thinking.”
Good choice!
Good choice!
Beautiful! I like this. Plus I think it’s cool that the bridge has a poem for an inscription.
“And it is good when you get to no further.”
I’ve never been there, but I imagine it would be wonderful…
Thank you!!!! I’m already drunk with poetry and it’s still morning. One more little sip….
Very nice!
It got very cool indeed.
That was nice, indeed.
That was nice! Drat, I totally didn’t realize it was silent poetry time.
So glad for poetry day again. Then again, for me, every day is poetry day.
Very nice!
Thanks for the beautiful “reading” and for the reminder of what day it is! I always miss it–but not this year.
That was a great one!
Further proof that I am a poet-idiot. Although I do “kind-of” get it! How did I miss you yesterday?? Yikes??
really nice. I hadn’t seen this before. I wasn’t aware that you were a poetry person? cool. That’s something else we have in common, then.