19 - eye

rising
orange sun

the eye
a pre-history
a pre-hieroglyph

a cycle of days and nights
primordial ocean
ancient mud

a dark and heavy thing rises
sinks claw and beak
into lesser flesh

between grasping jaws
a record
that which is not swallowed
becomes fossil
and the eye
pre-dates
and continues.



(I realized this one has similar language to last week's poem for Audrey, the awesome RES, and I'll chock that up to the fact that one of my favorite things about turtles is their timelessness, the fact that they predate so many other creatures, including man himself. That timeless nature is particularly evident, I feel, in their eyes, which, regardless of how cute we may find some modern-day turtles, have never lost that old reptilian look that so sets them apart.

No idea where the image came from, and TinEye had nothing on it.)

15 - regret

(I've asked people to send in pictures for me to write about. This picture was sent by the lovely Crystal.)

(noun)-–

the weight of a body on your back,
staring in a direction
in which you failed to move

mother’s voice
and father’s voice

how did you come this far
without noticing

the stranger following behind,
his arachnid legs click-clicking
as he drags himself
over scarred pavement
after you?




(Notes: It's funny that Crystal should send me this image to work with, for two reasons: 1) I've been dealing with some feelings of regret and guilt over some weird stuff lately, and 2) I've, completely coincidentally, become addicted to Florence + the Machine's new single, "Shake It Out," which addresses such feelings. It's an awesome song, much better than the poem I just produced on the subject. Go listen to it: )