Sunday, January 5, 2014

History lesson














The History of Mothers and Sons
By Lisa Furmanski 

All sons sleep next to mothers, then alone, then with others
Eventually, all our sons bare molars, incisors
Meanwhile, mothers are wingless things in a room of stairs
A gymnasium of bars and ropes, small arms hauling self over self


Mothers hum nonsense, driving here
and there (Here! There!) in hollow steeds, mothers reflecting
how faint reflections shiver over the road
All the deafening musts along the way


Mothers favor the moon—hook-hung and mirroring the sun—
there, in a berry bramble, calm as a stone


This is enough to wrench our hand out of his
and simply devour him, though he exceeds even the tallest grass


Every mother recalls a lullaby, and the elegy blowing through it


Thanks to Elizabeth Acquino, who posted it originally on her
blog, The Moon Worn As If a Shell

6 comments:

Radish King said...

Thinking of you this morning looking at those fabulous Henry Darger postcards. I will be visiting Dartmouth again the first week of February then NY for the Folk Art Museum courtesy of Dartmouth--I'm so excited. I will send you pcards from both places as I will have nine days of writing on Cynthia Huntington's farm in Vermont.
xoxox

Pam said...

You are going to be on the east coast in NYC -- and beyond. This is excellent excellent. How long at the Folk Museum? Your friend Cynthia must be part angel or something.

Radish King said...

SHE IS PART ANGEL and thank goodness part devil too so we get along well both of us being rather solitary people. All I know for now is I leave Seattle on Feb 5th and come home the 15th. Good enough perfect. I can't wait.

Pam said...

The best combination! How long are you in NYC for? You probably don't have time for this…but maybe if you wanted a break from your work at the Folk Art Museum, we could have a cup of tea or coffee -- meet in the meat world just outside the museum. A thought. No matter about that. Most important is the time and space for your writing. Well, and postcards too! xxoo

Radish King said...

No I never meet anyone. Cynthia was the exception. But I will be thinking of you there and will send notes whenever I can. I'm so excited truly.

Pam said...

I didn't think so. I will be thinking of you too, picturing you writing away. I'm excited for you and happy and I know your trip will be fulsome.