For a moment,
everything was clear,
and when that happens
you see that the world
is barely
there
at all.
Don't we all secretly know this?
It's a perfectly balanced mechanism
of shouts and echoes
pretending to be wheels and cogs,
a dreamclock
chiming beneath a mystery-glass we call life.
Behind it?
Below it and around it?
Chaos, storms.
Men with hammers,
men with knives,
men with guns.
Women who twist
what they cannot dominate
and belittle
what they cannot understand.
A universe of horror and loss
surrounding a single lighted stage
where mortals dance
in defiance
of
the
dark.
from 11-22-63: A Novel
by Steven King
Scribner, 2011
p. 615-616
Poem #14, National Poetry Month 2012
I was listening to 11-22-63 in the car this morning, and when I heard this, I shut off my iPod and just let King's words soak in.
Later, during Saturday errands, I took the print copy of the book off the shelf at B&N, found my spot, and (like a spy or something) took photos of the text on the two pages.
On Thursday night (at the cake pop event), Cathy was talking about how she was living with her eyes wide open for the next poem. Yeah, me, too. And apparently, we should have our ears open as well. Thank you, Mr. King, for today's poem.
Thank you for sharing how your poems come alive for you. What a wonderful journey-I especially love the spy part at B&N.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I was going to say--isn't it funny what poetry makes us do?! I can just see you surreptitiously photographing text at B&N--perfect for the book's topic, too, I bet. Going to check it out.
ReplyDeleteI spent time dissecting and massaging a citrus fruit yesterday in an effort to hear the voice of a tangerine.
Wonderful. I especially love the first part--everything was clear and you see that the world is barely there. The moment of the process I keep coming back to is you listening in the car, then turning it off, so you could really hear. A poet at work. Thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear that you are listening to this-on my TBR list. I've heard that it is good, even great! I don't think I want to compliment King, but your keen ears in finding just the part that will speak through a poem. I read it more than once, Mary Lee. It is a positive message isn't it?
ReplyDeleteAwesomeness! It almost (almost) makes me want to read the book, but at 800+ pages, I'm going to have to pass. ;-)
ReplyDelete