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Sunday, September 24, 2017

Unlearning the Forest

Deep in the Woods
—Anonymous 



BEACON OF DARKNESS
       (inspired by the thoughts of Michael Ceraolo)
—Caschwa, Sacramento, CA

 
Poetry has the
Acoustical properties
Of music:
Onset, duration, release

With that sharp rock in my pocket
I set out onto the forest floor
Shaded by the canopy
To explore its mysteries

First I make the mistake
Of trying to conform
Unknown perceptions
To easy conventions

Is that a leaf blown by breeze
Or is it some kind of animal?
Or maybe the only thing moving
Are my vitreous floaters

I look upward and expect my gaze
To be met with all sorts of
Flora and fauna having sex
I get bird poop instead

Satire requires more brains
Than birds are known to have
So I didn’t take that personally
Just kept walking

Now trying to unlearn
All those “facts”
About the forest
That clouded my brain

I reach for that rock
In my pocket
Now a gaping hole
Someone else will find it

And create good, original
Forest poetry
That I will read and know
As déjà vu

___________________________

—Medusa, with thanks to Carl Bernard Schwartz (Caschwa) for his poem inspired by last Monday's posting in the Kitchen of a poem by Michael Ceraolo!