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Rugged Territory
by Glenn CurrierLook at this grainy terrain
hear the refrain of winds eroding innocence
smoothing this igneous plain
with Mahler rhythms
and Hammerstein rhymes
echoing from a distance.
Evening cactus thorns
irresistible alliteration
atop this region
no longer tight and flush
with young arousals
but imperceptible
crystalline caverns
creases of joy
mineral wealth
lie beneath the slack surface.
Touch the trails
made by toil and sun-drenched dances
ruts of wagon trains
weighed with slabs of Phrygian marble
their edges jagged
but see the patterns and glitter
worthy of a Michelangelo.
Feel the reluctant pain
cleansed by morning rain
lines of cabled tension
endless abstinence campaigns
lost and wandering
this rugged territory.
Notice the recent slicing tracks
removing old rage and greed.
It does not take an astronomer
to see the craters
the pools of tears
the miles of smiles
across the map
of my face. 07/14/2010 Author's Note: After trying my best NOT to think about it, I decided to just give in, and here are some reflections on my face after recent surgeries.
Posted on 07/14/2010
Copyright © 2025 Glenn Currier
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by George Hoerner on 07/14/10 at 06:03 PM A great depiction of the life of a face and what lies behind it and how relieved it can be to come out. |
| Posted by Gregory O'Neill on 07/14/10 at 06:45 PM How many faces do we gazed upon in oue lives? Each one is unique, belonging to that single human spirit alone. I like to think that as we get older, that uniqueness, that beauty, does not change, it just moves from the face to the heart. Love this, Glenn. Thanks. |
| Posted by Max Bouillet on 07/14/10 at 11:12 PM I love the way you weave the solid permanence of minerals with the temporal aspects of music and dance. It gives a feeling of substance to the music and a wispy temporal quality to the landscape. Wonderful imagery! |
| Posted by Charlie Morgan on 07/14/10 at 11:16 PM ...sooooo keen, a very healthy write, very healthy...i am grinning, wishin' i'd penned this. |
| Posted by Stephan Anstey on 07/16/10 at 02:58 PM Nicely done. I love the intrictate tying together of the face and the terrain and the elegance of the title. |
| Posted by Kristina Woodhill on 07/17/10 at 04:23 AM Thank you for sharing this. This is full of the character of a face as it evolves throughout a life. No make-up here, I notice, and that gives it real appeal. ;) |
| Posted by Philip F De Pinto on 07/17/10 at 01:11 PM let's face it! the face has had a long history, but mostly it it left out of history, given its geography is always changing and that makes capturing the likeness of an ever changing geography nearly impossible, but this poem about a face, has stood still enough to get its word picture took. and given you have well developed this negative in the dark room of your imagination, I really dig the looks of it. Viva La Faccia! |
| Posted by Charles E Minshall on 07/20/10 at 08:16 PM Everyone must face life in one way or another.Well written Glenn....CharMin
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