The best symbol of the States
for me, is found where urban sprawl
assumes each road is both
more and less 'traveled by'
we try to find our [
and cross each other's] way --
a white line intrudes
a tidy box within the fugue
and for a moment giving up
our progress, we give each other way,
take and make turns, or failing that
defer to what is right
in some dim way required
to understand each others minds --
and through a veil of glass
meet each other's eyes beneath
the ever flashing lights --
a glimpse of the people
[by the people, for the people]
in practice, rather less grand than any flag
but none the worse for that.
[poetry train]
10 comments:
mmmm - i love this Emily, especially given the symbolic power of crossroads.
The words combine here with such power that i could SEE flashing lights, a pattering of rain across a windshield, a partial eye blinking through the fogged window...it literally yanked me to another place for a moment.
--and for a moment giving up
our progress, we give each other way,-
This is simply wonderful. All of it.
I like this one a lot. Love the "Veil of glass" line.
I like this alot-we give each other way-or failing that, defer to what is right.
If only we followed intersection rules in all aspects of our life :)
Excellent, Emily -- such depth of meaning!
Neat, how it goes from the general to the personal. I did a double-take when I got there.
Great job! Crossroads in one's life offer such great choices.
Love the use of parenthesis [] in this poem - it creates tension - and how it changes the meaning of the lines.
And the very American references: Frost, constitution and flag.
I could read this time and again!
"we try to find our [
and cross each other's] way-"
Loved that! The use of negative space, the forced stop for the reader and a turn of the head to see where we're now headed.
Really enjoyed that.
"a tidy box within the fugue".......that image appeals to me.............well done.......
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