Orange Blossoms
“A typical orange tree carries about 100,000 pollinated blossoms, each of which is a potential orange, complete with the seeds that are potential trees. But in the course of a season, only about 500 oranges are actually produced. The tree determines which ones make the cut…” -Dan Cray, Time Magazine, [...]
This poem was inspired by the story of Lakshmi Tatma.
Arachne’s Child
Arache’s child, a god-headin her own village—the more armsand legs the more wealth,what is it they cultivate, anyway?
Eight teeth show in her splitting laughter,Ember-curls around her gold-pierced ears.Her strong hands clapping, grasping air,dancing, with her polished black eyes.She is a beauty, by [...]
For My Brother(a ghost villanelle)
What we are is not so different, youand I. Your russet hair, deep doe-eyes glidegently across the world, the trees, the sky.
Yours track, mine quivering across the linesof pen to paper, or stitches fingers slide.What we are is not so different, you
and I. Steady-handed tracers: moved, highby the intricacies of [...]
The Kitten
She coos like a bird to youand your answer is a cocked headand golden eyes
trained on her warm and climbing body.Again and againshe sings without opening her mouth.
You are not her father.Neither of you have met a bird,not really,
just seen them, suspended among leavesin the hornbeam, through the wrinkledold glass of [...]
“You Are” (an unfinished poem,dating from May)You are of sacred fluids.The only landscape with whichI could replace her cool, damp oneis yours—balmy. The shade seemsrarer here, without the railsof skyscrapers or brush of willowsto hide your faceso I crawl where I am known,beneath your warm belly to liepressed and oddly free. I knowits smell, [...]
NPR presents whole concerts as mp3 files on their website: http://media.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15681603.
Most of the tapings occur at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. and are definitely worth listening too!
“The Trees”
The rain stains their gathered thighscharcoal-black, like any number ofdryads lying back on one another,grown as one, to wear fire-hair.
November and the trees look more like balding men withsilvered orange mutton-chops.Someone pasted yellowed leaves
and lamplight to the sidewalks.Such joy to find my childhood–browned grass and conifers–replaced with Virginian opulence.
(University of Mary Washington senior Whitney Roberts holds a sign at a unity march held after a racially insensitive poster and comments created a stir on campus.)
featured in The Free Lance-Star, on Nov.10, 2007.Here is the article: http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2007/112007/11102007/332323
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