Smog
The year is nearly gone.
It pulls away from us,
a bus attending to schedule.
To honor any leaving,
talk to where you are by looking,
purposefully. I tell this building
I will miss its windows,
small and square as stamps.
Goodbye, petaled cactus
called sempervivum.
Farewell, layered California Avenue graffiti,
a pink, dripping heart,
recently emblazoned with heavy.
At sunset, the sky is full.
Be well, I say while memorizing its pieces:
planes, the moon, orange clouds, smog,
plenty of light but no sun.
I hear you/see you saying goodbye...see you "looking, / purposefully." Love the bus, cactus, graffiti. You've got me looking purposefully, too, saying goodbye...
ReplyDeleteFrom Therese L. Broderick -- I really like this mood poem, its metaphors, its strong sense of place and time. Captures the end-of-year feeling, and also that lame-duck syndrome.
ReplyDeleteLovely, Hannah' also poignant. That "looking, purposefully" is borne out in your great use of details.
ReplyDeleteHi Hannah,
ReplyDeleteYour opening stanza sets the mood, and both intrigues the reader and sets us firmly in that melancholy. I like the idea of talking to where you are, by looking. Definitely, when we want to both remember and honor where we've been, what we've done- we look harder and longer, and we do wish places well. Thank you for reminding me of that. ~ Annie
Safe travels and happy new home, Hannah. I know what you're feeling; when we left Alaska for Tennessee we reeled and rocked for three months. But Ohio has a way of calming about it...and I look forward to your new moods/poetry, etc. xoxo
ReplyDeleteYou're moving from LA to Ohio? [no words] That's a big gulp, trust me. If you need any virtual shots, let me know.
ReplyDelete[recovering from shock] By the way, this is a wonderfully understated poem. You got all of that, the schedule of the bus exhaust.
ReplyDeleteI missed something somewhere- had no idea you were moving. LA to Ohio? That's just frightening. Your leave-taking is beautiful though. It's not just the sky that's full.
ReplyDeleteSaying good bye is always weird...love the poem! xoxo
ReplyDeleteI have a different take. I think when you assign human qualities to the inanimate objects around you, it means you form attachments easily, wherever you go. It's an extreme form of sociability. To me, this means you will never be alone, or lonely. Have a safe trip.
ReplyDeleteWonderful poem.
ReplyDelete