In the Absence
The bee and flower collaborate,
and in their work, they vanish.
The more I focus on the honey
that has dissolved in my mint tea,
the less of me there is, and only
the taste. Look at this lake!
I shout to you, on the shore,
and to help you see it better,
I hold my breath, and duck
under the water, stay submerged
while you look. This image
I give to you is good practice
for the time I won’t spend on
Earth. The eye of the beholder
buzzes and hovers, buzzes
and hovers, then vanishes.
I really like the circular quality of this poem. Beautiful (as always, and again).
ReplyDeleteYikes...this is incredible...there is freedom in losing self, isn't there? This one too will get pasted on my wall. Wishing you a lovely Wednesday Hannah!
ReplyDeleteI like the way both are called out: the transparent eyeball and the need to find oneself in others. That's poetry.
ReplyDeleteIsn't she on shore in the first three couplets or more? And then in the lake? The disappearing images, esp. the comparison to a bee's movements, are terrific. And terrifying. Out of nowhere "the time I won't spend on/Earth"--daring, but I love it. That was one provocative bee--which reminds me, I also admire the way the poem is about both love's transience AND work, losing oneself in it.
ReplyDeleteA lovely poem-- very moving. xj
ReplyDelete