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take one poet
by Charlie Morgan
a poet enters; whirlwinds start their hum of life.
she settles her eyes on a desk, no frills, a pen.
takes a seat in the wobbly desk-the age of Thoreau,
and now reaching back to her years of life, living.
her languid words puff-up their chest and strut
out of the pen, landing on the page with a rush
of meaning, wet with the newness of ideas born.
rocking back, pleased. she becomes her father;
proud, rough-hewn from frailty of hard work
and ever-seeking the proverb of the good life.
her head swells, properly. she is dickinson,
plath, dillard, lamott; reduces to herself
and lets a smile of closure seal her lips.
slowly allowing the chair to balance on four,
she quickly grabs the pen, stabs the next idea;
turns enough lets the words run down her arm,
she's off again, lands unknown, unchartered.
04/29/2008 Posted on 04/29/2008
Copyright © 2026 Charlie Morgan
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by Keith McFarlane on 04/29/08 at 03:45 PM chaz - well done -- you paint a very vivid picture of the artist's relationship to art (always personal, like it or not). "ever-seeking the proverb of the good life" -- this is printed on the American psyche in indelible ink, drilled in from birth onward. maybe it's starting to wear off a bit, but not much. great stuff eh! |
| Posted by Alison McKenzie on 04/29/08 at 06:04 PM Well, I don't know about the pride of it, and the inspiration feels more like an undeserved gift than the fruit of hard work. For me, the words always seem to have intentions of their own, my place in the fray as a vessel only. And if I had to qualify one swelling of a big artist's head, I'd say it had more to do with 18th century German DNA. But that's just my take on an artist's origins. Your perspective is always so interesting!!! |
| Posted by A. Paige White on 04/30/08 at 02:36 PM "from frailty of hard work" would seem to have tagged me... between it and Sallie's palindrome today, who knows what is brewing "her head swells properly" another lovely. As always, I love to read you Chaz! |
| Posted by V. Blake on 05/16/14 at 01:07 AM We miss you, Charlie. |
| Posted by Kristina Woodhill on 05/16/14 at 07:57 PM Good to read you again, Charlie. |
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