Thursday, September 17, 2009

Harmonic Points

One metre is one ten-millionth
of the distance from the Equator
to the North Pole through Paris

This is a useful measurement

Then there is the truth of ratios:
a bird’s wingspan to a room,
the opening in the window
it entered through, then lost.
The weight of a pair of hands
trying to free it. There is the lonely
side of dialogue. The pieces
of the map and the ground
covered by your body when you fall.
The cleverness you trail like
a comet. The circus and the flea.
Edson’s ambushed stone to
the size of his mother’s love. Some
giddy slippage, to all the harmonic
points on a line to infinity.
The curved eyeball to the keyhole
of the hostage, then, the walls of
the captive. Lullaby of bedrock
to all it cradles. The hollow
of your hand to what I would fill
it with. The rose and what rose.
There’s writing on both sides
of the paper. The sensation
of speaking in tongues. All those
centred deities of blind voyeurs
to the spectrum of a single note.
The other side of the river to
a fish. Totems and guttered stars.
Death, ash, fire, warmth and smoke.
A forced song of almost someone
in so many breaths, there is also this:

Made flesh: what I take in
from what was said.

48 comments:

Graham Nunn said...

this is brilliant amanda... so many great points of reference. there is definitely always writing on both sides of the paper.

Jé Maverick said...

There is also this - your words are at times like a the skin of a naked curve: the arc of a hip; a thigh's swift contour; globes of the body.

And I won't even call you poetry lady.

Robert Anderson said...

"The hollow
of your hand to what I would fill
it with. The rose and what rose.
There’s writing on both sides
of the paper."

Fascinating! Your soul is the vessel where wonder can flourish. I love how you write, how with beauty you nourish! Keep it up.

~Kaff~

Storyboy said...

I knew I would find you again. Your words are a golden thread. I have slain a few minotaurs in the interim. You?

Amanda Joy said...

Anthony!! I'm so happy I can barely type! Me? yes, it has been some interim...

xox

Amanda Joy said...

@Graham, thank you, enjoy Terrigal!

@Je.. thank you.. and well resisted!

@Kaff, that has to be one of the best messages I've been left..and especially for rhyming! thank you!

I really enjoyed writing this one a lot..

Amanda Joy said...

oh & ... happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday Mr Maverick, happy birthday to you.. sorry it was a little off key.. I'm still not drinking coffee.. :D

xx

Jé Maverick said...

It's ok. I couldn't really hear you from here. :P

tania lamond said...

Mandy...i find these words so comforting.

thank you for posting your gifted words.

tan xx

Lyrically speaking said...

Nice work...

porpaborpap said...

i've always loved your poems. and now, you surprise me again with another illuminating piece.

R.S Mallari said...

How can you come with such poem? I am like singing while reading it.

Got a a fan here.

Liz said...

really beautiful poem

TC said...

Interesting the way this one measures and weighs itself, with its splendid ending, nice.

Stu said...

This is wonderful, Amanda. The linkage between sentences: simultaneously resisting outright narrative, outright motif, outright parataxis. A beautiful balancing act.

By the way, congratulations on your inclusion in Adamson's anthology. :)

*waves at TC*

Unknown said...

many lines i really like in here, the odd one that doesn't get me. or i get it. or something is not gotten. or something I'VE forgotten...
and a beautiful, righteous ending. my faverave lines:
"Lullaby of bedrock
to all it cradles. The hollow
of your hand to what I would fill
it with. The rose and what rose.
There’s writing on both sides
of the paper." and
"
The other side of the river to
a fish. Totems and guttered stars.
Death, ash, fire, warmth and smoke. "
il mat (and you know what THAT means, non?)

Coral Carter said...

The Breath Taking Amanda Joy....

glenellynboy said...

Your math is very poetic. Your poetry is very precise.

Richard said...

This is showing your poetry is even better than it was I feel - intense but delicate and balanced as well, something like that. I like this a lot. Richard

Anonymous said...

So much feeling conveyed through such wonderfully tuned words. This stretches my eye and lifts my heart. Thanks.

Guillaume

Anonymous said...

beauty, intelligent and interesting
above all - a great read. to read again and again. and yet, come to it again, to see how one has changed.

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Zong Han said...

Wow.. You write very beautiful poetry. How I wish I'm able to write like you =)
Anw, it's a really beautiful poem. Care to check out mine? =)Will appreciate it if u give me some comments. Thanks.

Kabir said...

First time to your blog. great!! writings on two sides of the same paper...

shraddha said...

i am visiting your blog for the first time..

this was great..i very much enjoyed it...

Owen said...

"...The sensation
of speaking in tongues. All those
centred deities of blind voyeurs
to the spectrum of a single note.
The other side of the river to
a fish. Totems and guttered stars.
Death, ash, fire, warmth and smoke."

Brilliant. Youve won a fan. Congratulations! :)

Coyote Blood said...

thoroughly enjoyed this one on a particularly thorny thursday...so thanks, for making me stop and look around. www.ryanbuynak.com

mountain-ash said...

wow, fantastic stuff, Amanda!

my fav bits:

'a bird’s wingspan to a room,'

&

'The cleverness you trail like
a comet.'

I love that you've got such a long list of comparisons and avoided redundancies and kept me guessing as to what will come next!
thanks!
ashley

Lance said...

"The other side of the river to a fish." This poem is loaded with pocket water. Wow.

flowering words said...

i love this poem

SwathIyer said...

i love this poem.
keep up the good stuff!:):)
plus, this is my first visit, i so loved it.
haapy writting!:D

LA Nickers said...

Congratulations ... to the Poetry Ranking's

POET

OF

THE

YEAR!

Enjoy!

Blessings, Linda

Cincy Northside online 'Zine said...

to A special Joy

your every word
a single stroke
of hummingbirds wing
together in flight
they sing
and the hum
becomes a roar

dEj 10.15.07

Congratulations poet of the year!

Andy Sewina said...

Congratulations on being named poet of the year on poetry blog rankings.

venusoptics said...

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000310477123&ref=nf

Anonymous said...

This is beautiful, the metaphors flow subterranean, like life under life. Keep writing!
Kari from b'ham

Balesia said...

It's a good morning. Why don't you write more?

Anonymous said...

very cool poem. crafted

check out my blog

it is about random creative experiments that started with a random piece of writing (see the first post)

http://00narayana00.blogspot.com/

David Scott said...

Great writing, Amanda. I'm glad I found your site.

rgregoryj said...

Nicely done

Anonymous said...

i don't know why, but this somehow reminds me of sylvia plath. its absolutely beautiful. :)

johnny ray said...

I just found this site, and love it.

gerry boyd said...

Just lovely, that is all.

Grant Wallace said...

Diggin it! Congratulations on such a well supported blog! Keep up the good work, all of your readers appreciate it!

Jhon Baker said...

Solid. Grand. Perfect.

bruce dorlova said...

i'm quite a fan of the micro-edit myself, but really...

Amanda Joy said...

Haha always the watcher.

Amanda Joy said...

Haha always the watcher.