Friday, April 8, 2011

Tricking Yourself Back Into the World

Wildflowers on Bull Creek by Patrick Larson

A New Poet
by Linda Pastan

Finding a new poet
is like finding a new wildflower
out in the woods. You don't see

its name in the flower books, and
nobody you tell believes
in its odd color or the way

its leaves grow in splayed rows
down the whole length of the page. In fact
the very page smells of spilled

red wine and the mustiness of the sea
on a foggy day - the odor of truth
and of lying.

And the words are so familiar,
so strangely new, words
you almost wrote yourself, if only

in your dreams there had been a pencil
or a pen or even a paintbrush,
if only there had been a flower.

Croissant by Craig Stephens
Petit Dejeuner
by Linda Pastan

I sing a song
of the croissant
and of the wily French
who trick themselves daily
back to the world
for its sweet ceremony.
Ah to be reeled
up into morning
on that crisp,
buttery
hook.

Posted with permission of Ms. Pastan, Mr. Larson, and Mr. Stephens.

More:

* The Answering Machine
* The Months
* The Deathwatch Beetle
* Transcription of a PBS NewsHour interview with Linda Pastan

This week's Poetry Friday round-up is at Madigan Reads.

12 comments:

Author Amok said...

Hungry now! I love that croissant poem, Tabatha. Doesn't it have a wonderful shape? And sensory imagery?!

Doraine said...

These are beautiful. Doesn't it make you wish you were that new poet she just discovered? I love these lines:
the very page smells of spilled/
red wine and the mustiness of the sea/on a foggy day

Thanks for sharing these.

jama said...

Love both of these, Tabatha! Oh, to be tricked back to the world for a croissant. The French do it right every time. Must read more of Pastan's work. :)

david elzey said...

Ah to be reeled
up into morning
on that crisp,
buttery
hook.


yes, yes, and more yes. i didn't get it for the longest time, then i went to paris and it all made sense. hooked indeed.

Tara said...

I love these! And now I wish I had a buttery croissant to turn to...

M Pax said...

I think a photo of a croissant is all the poetry it needs. :) But the words were great. I can taste it. Now I'm hungry.

The wild flower poem spoke to me. Made me think of standing up at the summit of Pine Mountain and looking at what grows at 6400 feet and wondering what they are.

Andromeda Jazmon said...

I love that new poet flower poem! The last two stanzas are so familiar, so strangely new...

Tricia said...

Thank you for sharing these. Both make me incredibly happy.

Mary Lee said...

Love that "buttery hook"!! Wish I had one right now with my tea!

And I'm jealous that you've been chatting with Linda Pastan. She's been a favorite of mine since college! (translate: MANY years)

Martha Calderaro said...

I recently read "A New Poet" and bookmarked it -- it's wonderful. Petit Dejeuner is fabulous in its language and croissant shape. I, too, will have to read more poetry by Linda Pastan. Thanks! (Merci!)

maria horvath said...

"Sweet ceremony." How lovely.

I will never look at a croissant the same way again.

Thank you.

Maria

Madigan Mirza said...

"Ah to be reeled... on that.. buttery hook"

I love this. Yes, I'll be hooked by a croissant, anytime.
Delectable!