Hallowed ground
he has exposed history for us,
fortified walls arc over earth
as deceptive as love, territory
cross-sectioned, the blade finding
the soft beginning of the belly that
mounds then slitting the fundaments
from pubis to throat.
Note the foreground, a woman’s head
resting on an arm as if sleeping,
a child close, tender shorn,
these two recognisable in a scree of
faceless figures, a continuum,
a latitude, the others vulnerable curvature,
ribcages scored like the knife’s
sliding through skin, muscle,
bone to marrow’s
matrix, in the centre a heart,
the vena cava removed,
a disconnection.
What is the artist trying to tell us,
that origin is salvation, a slow
sift and silt that endures?
This poem was inspired by this amazing painting by Rick Mobbs of Mine Enemy Grows Older, please stop by and check out his paintings or participate in the weekly prompt.
April 24, 2008 at 11:43 pm
This is amazing.
April 25, 2008 at 12:52 am
it is on the flesh of those that have gone before us that we feed… that is what i hear him saying to me…..
April 25, 2008 at 1:42 am
Holy crap you’re good.
And I mean that, and I hope you take it in. Every week, another poem that is just brilliant, but you outdo yourself.
This is a tremendous work, together, the two parts. They should be up in a gallery together.
April 25, 2008 at 2:23 am
I don’t know how you do it–
hey what’s cookin?
April 25, 2008 at 5:41 am
Oh you are too wonderful Amuirin (big grins)……actually I’ve often thought that about art galleries, all those dry little labels, imagine if they were poems about the pieces up on the wall too, or prose bits, mind you, it’d take a looooooong time to get around. Hello Noah and Scot (too bloody much I’m still full of food and so’s my fridge). Hello Paisley, yep, that’s what I was trying to get across, that we stand on their backs, maybe I should rewrite my ending, which I wasn’t hundred percent on. I’ll have a think.
April 25, 2008 at 7:52 am
Like the painting, the poem simply reports what it sees dispassionately, asking questions without forcing conclusions. Which, when it succeeds, as this does admirably, is the best function art can provide.
April 25, 2008 at 2:37 pm
wonderful.. i start my day out with your blog many times… any advice for a newbie like me? ive never written poetry until recently…
April 25, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Fantastic, both poem and painting. A double-edged sword.
April 25, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Thanks all. Hi Kassandra, nope no advice, really
I’m only a newbie myself….well I’ve been writing for years but not every day but I had a long break from writing poetry, was just writing prose. Anyhow, only thing I do is read like crazy, published poets, blogging poets, so long as they’re good I read em. Your autobiographical piece is brilliant you know.
April 25, 2008 at 11:04 pm
I don’t know what the painter is trying to tell us, but they do it very nicely indeed, and so do you. This here is awesome:
“the blade finding
the soft beginning of the belly that
mounds then slitting the fundaments
from pubis to throat.”
April 26, 2008 at 5:21 pm
I thought I had already said this but I see I have not. Jo, the poem blows me away.
April 27, 2008 at 7:34 am
“actually I’ve often thought that about art galleries, all those dry little labels, imagine if they were poems about the pieces up on the wall too, or prose bits, mind you, it’d take a looooooong time to get around.”
A great idea for a writing project with an art museum … I’ve often found that if a painting moves me I’d like to write about it, like this powerful one by Rick. (The less meaningful ones can be skipped.)
April 27, 2008 at 11:37 am
I love it when someone takes words and inspiration and mixes them together, then let’s them flow from the eye to mind to fingers. Your are a great artist with words. Amazing. Makes my attempts look like a 5 year olds, of course some of the best Haiku is writing by 5 year olds
Peace,
April 27, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Now this is what I wanna do! Thanks for sharing this and for swinging by my blog. You’re in the g-read(er).
April 27, 2008 at 6:57 pm
I agree with paisley’s take. And what an awesome poem … as usual!
April 27, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Thanks all, hello Rethabile, good to see you, hope the manuscript’s going well, nice to see you here misterbooks, niebla and greybeard
April 28, 2008 at 1:24 pm
tres intuitive
love the interpritation.
June 19, 2008 at 6:07 am
[...] is johemment’s poem, hallowed ground, and the link to floresence, her poetry weblog. Please visit all of these [...]
June 25, 2008 at 3:18 am
Hey, I just re-read your poem as it was highlighted on Poet 4 meisters. I read about it on PWB. A nice shout out for you and Asphalt Sky.
June 25, 2008 at 10:57 pm
it is beautiful jo… as mariacristina came over so did i… just recently discovered rick’s paintings…