NICE
—Russell Edson
Of the night...
Climbing the mountain I kept slipping. So that I was not so much climbing as trying to.
I was not able to get out of the valley at all.
I said, what's wrong with the valley? It's every bit as nice as the mountain.
When I use the word nice I begin to feel cuddly. I go nice this and nice that, until I'm quite sick to my stomach as if having eaten too many sweets.
But let's be honest, is the valley really as nice as the mountain? The mountain is higher than the valley, so that it has a height that the valley could never own to without itself becoming a mountain. However, the valley retains a depth that the mountain does not own to.
But, in a way, both seeming to belong to the same system; each describing the other in reverse description.
One begins to see the mountain range as a solidified valley turned upside down, and equally as nice.
So if I cannot climb the mountain, I can still climb the stairs to my bed.
But, no matter, for I am anywhere I am without my having to do anything.
And so it doesn't really matter where one is, as long as one is. And sometimes even that doesn't matter...
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Don't forget: Today, 4 PM: The Book Collector and Rattlesnake Press present Taylor Graham reading from her latest book, The Downstairs Dance Floor, winner of the Robert Phillips Poetry Chapbook Prize from Texas Review Press. That's at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sac. Be there. Wine! Hors-d'oeuvres!!
—Medusa
Medusa encourages poets of all ilk and ages to send their poetry, photos and art, and announcements of Northern California poetry events to kathykieth@hotmail.com for posting on this daily Snake blog. Rights remain with the poets. Previously-published poems are okay for Medusa’s Kitchen, as long as you own the rights. (Please cite publication.)