Fragments G&C #173 30"x30" gouache on w/c paper
The Dragon Sleeps Tonight
I am thinking of
The Malaysian jet liner
That is lost
The apartment building
In Harlem
Gas leak
On TV
Pictures of where
The building stood
Nothing left
Only a little rubble
On the street
Pictures of water
Where the
plane
Was last heard from
Nothing left
Nothing to see
Hard to measure loss
What the Dragon
Has swallowed
Only the ten
Thousand things remain
The Cosmos is all dragon
Driven by restless hunger
Perception shares
This dragon-nature
As does any
Dimension of being I am:
Thoughts
Feelings
Memories
Desires
They all keep relentlessly
Appearing
Evolving
Disappearing
Into the forgetfulness
That is the texture of
Our day-to-day lives
I try to remember
It all
The towers
The ten thousand things
...And you
But when I do
I forget ‘now’
That constant
Vanishing of myself
Would not be
Slowed or altered
In this complex pattern of
Recurrence
Transformation
But mostly there is
That tissue
Vanishing
Beautiful
A blessing
For with all that is lost
To forgetfulness
There will only be
A last little bit left
For death to claim
When it comes
The dragon sleeps
Tonight
Note: Much of this
poem is a ‘found poem’ taken from “Hunger Mountain” by David Hinton.
9 comments:
These occurrences certainly remind you that the world is not entirely in our control..I am glad however that dragon sleeps on some nights x
I love "Only the Ten Thousand Things remain"........and the dragon sleeping.....love the "complex pattern of...... transformation". A fantastic poem, my friend. Love it.
Doesn't sound like a beneficent dragon.
Oh, that's wonderful. Love it, love it, love it!
Ah, the dragon has many faces, doesn't he? To some, protector and wise guardian, to others, the devourer. I'm reminded of a saying I used to hear in my days in the SCA: "Do not meddle in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!"
-Nicole
Annell, so nice to see you at my blog, thanks! First, the geo-art is stunning. I knew nothing of this project and plan to learn more. My OCD cried out when I saw the image, ha ha, but it's really meditative and lovely.
I would never have guessed much of this was "found poetry." It flows so well, Your concept of the Malaysian jet liner causing the catastrophe in Harlem is a scary and amazing thought... two tragedies in one week, and you made it into art. That is the soul of writing, I think. Amy
Sharp Little Pencil I'm sorry to have made you believe the jet liner caused the catastrophe, it was just that I saw people talking on TV about them, showing only the 'where' it happened. Thanks for you comments Amy.
ah but i fear we have awakened the dragon in many ways....all these things....there are reasons...and if we dont reinforce our structures they will collapse upon us...def been an interesting week in the news....
Annel, your "found poem" is amazingly smooth. I would never have guessed . I love the image of dragon throughout. Very effective
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