from BARDO

The stars are in our belly; the Milky Way our umbilicus.

Is it a consolation that the stuff of which we’re made

is star-stuff too?


– That wherever you go you can never fully disappear –

dispersal only: carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen.


Tree, rain, coal, glow-worm, horse, gnat, rock.


Roselle Angwin

Thursday 3 October 2013

national poetry day

Today is National Poetry day in the UK.

I'm posting here a little quatrain. It's cheating on at least one count, and maybe two: it's not really about water, the theme of this year's NPD; and those of you with sharp eyes or a bigger font on your computer might also notice that I posted it yesterday in a different form and context. Bit short on time today: got to water the dog, walk the plants, clean the house ready for a workshop (the only time I do), prepare said workshop, attend a meeting, prepare the next Fire in the Head newsletter, fix dates for the latter first, make some bread and a thousand excuses for why I'm not writing a longer newer poem (this one's at least two days' old and aspiring to grow up).

But anyway, here it is:


Here at the ocean’s edge where all our stories meet
And day and night dissolve, and sea and sky
Are breath condensed on breath
And opposites are resolved.

 © Roselle Angwin

 My prescription for you today: read at least one poem (in addition to my fragment). You can find some wonderful poets on the American Poetry Foundation website: www.poetryfoundation.org 


Watery greetings to you all.


2 comments:

  1. A superb crystallization of observation and situation. I often stand at the edge between shingle and water on the Eastbourne beach and have felt those opposites about to melt/wash into one.

    I've followed your prescription!

    Julius x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Julius, it's so lovely to hear from you always. Thank you - glad you're resolving all the pairs of opposites :-). Oh and Happy Birthday - think it's gone, yes? Rx

    ReplyDelete

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