3 poems by Marcia Arrieta
what changes/what remains
stone. shell. snowflake. a small green dragon. the river in the distance.
dialogues about time. i prepare food in the kitchen. isamu noguchi appears
once again. (strange bird to the sunflower). speaks of blake. the chisel &
the hand. the garden. two halves. stonecutter. vision of the abstract.
there are carrots & celery to be chopped. akari . i am on the edge of a stone cliff.
eagle. magus. contrast. how does one explain the mystery of the black &
blue branches tangled? random tides & wilderness. persevere. bare passages.
ladders. the book of tea. i wash the pots. night approaches. snowfall & sculpture.
in the shadow of the artist-
or the artist's shadow
“Me thinks we have hugely mistaken this matter of life and death. Me thinks that what they call my shadow here on earth is my true substance. Me thinks that in looking at things spiritual, we are too much like oysters observing the sun through the water, and thinking the thinnest of air.”
from Chapter 7, “The Chapel”
Moby Dick
i remember first being aware of the shadow. outside the door. inside the door.
blue shadow on wood. variations of blue. how the shadow could become intense
& then could be easily wiped away. the shadow of many layers. the shadow of simplicity.
the shadow of light. the shadow of darkness. brooding. subtle. always on wood.
there. not there. discovered. lost. writing. thinking.
struggles against.
*
the turtle emerges from his shell. we pray for rain.
we search for the dead. illusion. truth. who is the hero?
*
the shoes. the sword. a sari. something lost. knowledge of enlightenment.
knowledge of the runes. the road. the journey.
*
there is one oak leaf left on the branch.
is there insight in solitude?
*
creativity/order/disorder rationality. humility.
a winter where lemons abound & fish climb the stairs.