 |
Out of Egypt:Halfway to the Promised Land"God is a place you will wait for the rest of your life." |
 |
August 23, 2004
Back at Covenant (but this entry really about an amusing poem)
On the way back to Covenant on Saturday, I heard Billy Collins, our nation's poet laureate and quite possibly one of the wittier poets I've ever heard read his work, on Prairie Home Companion.
This was probably the best poem that he read. As a poet of sorts myself, it hits all too close to home.
Litany
You are the bread and the knife, The crystal goblet and the wine... -Jacques Crickillon
You are the bread and the knife,
the crystal goblet and the wine.
You are the dew on the morning grass
and the burning wheel of the sun.
You are the white apron of the baker,
and the marsh birds suddenly in flight.
However, you are not the wind in the orchard,
the plums on the counter,
or the house of cards.
And you are certainly not the pine-scented air.
There is just no way that you are the pine-scented air.
It is possible that you are the fish under the bridge,
maybe even the pigeon on the general's head,
but you are not even close
to being the field of cornflowers at dusk.
And a quick look in the mirror will show
that you are neither the boots in the corner
nor the boat asleep in its boathouse.
It might interest you to know,
speaking of the plentiful imagery of the world,
that I am the sound of rain on the roof.
I also happen to be the shooting star,
the evening paper blowing down an alley
and the basket of chestnuts on the kitchen table.
I am also the moon in the trees
and the blind woman's tea cup.
But don't worry, I'm not the bread and the knife.
You are still the bread and the knife.
You will always be the bread and the knife,
not to mention the crystal goblet and--somehow--the wine.
Posted by donovan at 12:14 PM | Category:
Wow! Coolness! It's so full of imagery.. and then you come to the line "there is just no way that you are the pine-scented air!" It's just genious and so surprising!
Of course it had to be Prairie Home Companion! Thanks for posting that, it was very enriching.
AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Sighs of refreshment blow through my cracked teeth like the winds of a thousand dying old ones, finally relaxing into death. That was a damn good poem! It made me feel ready to die happy. But don't worry. Thanks for sharing it! I gotta go read some more Billy.
Posted by: bob at August 24, 2004 10:13 PM
The poem, at least the way I read it, is about how we as poets can get over-attached (note the hyphen) to metaphor, making connections that are tenuous at best. I wish you could have heard him read it.
I'm going to try to listen to the PHC this semester, since I have a radio in my room now. What time is it on?