Tuesday, November 27, 2012

“berceuse with passenger train”


  berceuse with passenger train

 

contingent whip-poor-will in those woods where “lonesome” is the response to all questions—
in woods where the question always sounds like “green” and “saturday”—
this humungous luna moth in the porchlamp, this bottle of milk of magnesia—

everything happens in threes along that specific riverbank—
a chalkboard, a rowboat, a sawhorse notched from cross-cuts and gray from sun and rain—
to say “i love you” or “i love you” or “i love you” in this actual yellow meadow—

blackeyed susans contigent on goldfinches contingent on a clapboarded folly under the elms—
that was your day, and this is your night, a brass floor lamp, a vinyl LP record, a bookshelf—
everything subsides to birdseye maple and a piano key and then another piano key—

crescent moon contigent on cows in the neighbors’ pasture contingent on a grackle—
those same white birches, these mason jars phosphorescing with fireflies and stewed  tomatoes—
veni, veni, midnight train and hold my child in your wings without contingencies—


A.K. Barkley
© 2012


 

Image links to its source on Wiki Commons   
Dampf auslassende Lokomotive bei Nacht (Evaporating locomotive at night) – 1896:  Hermann Pleuer [public domain]

4 comments:

  1. What a perfect match of image and words. that's good editing, that is.

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    1. Why, thank you, Alan! I'll be sure to pass along your compliments to AK Barkley!

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  2. lovely imagery....i'm a big fan of the art as well.
    : )

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    1. Why thanks, Barbie! I'll pass that along to Barkley, who is a big fan of yours too. He does let me pick out the art--glad you liked that as well; I thought it was a cool image : )

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