The BlueIris Semi-Nightly Poetry Break, 11/28/08

[BlueIris]

"Ferns in Snow"

At the cracked mouth of the alder wood
the field has lain down like a lover,
stretched out under the snow's rumpled sheet.

The tented fern-clumps are erect,
breasting the numb air.
The wind moans its lack of a body,

"oh," it says, "oh." when it wants to say
"Bearsfoot, Hartstongue, I have known you
forever, Floating, Ressurrection,

I am mad with your names."
The wood's bones rattle and grind.
Afterwards the silence is absolute.

—Ger Killeen

[BlueIris]

1. Gee, and I thought people would totally love this one. nt

[Droopy]

2. Sounds like an Ohio winter to me

I see lots of snow-covered fields bordered with naked trees this time of year in my travels up and down I-75.

Strangely enough, we decorated the exterior of my grandma's house for Christmas today and she still had some ferns that were still alive out in one of her flower boxes.

[BlueIris]

4. Droopy! It's good to know this resonates with some posters' "now."

I was worried it was too early for a poem referencing snow.

[mokawanis]

3. Love the language of this one

and now I'm going to google Killeen.

[BlueIris]

5. Heh. Yeah. I'm tired of people assuming all nature poems are boring.

Good luck with that Google search. ;-) If you get any hits, kick them over here.