The Bath

—Anonymous

BATH
—Amy Lowell (1874-1925)

        The day is fresh-washed and fair, and there is a smell of tulips and narcissus in the air.
       

        The sunshine pours in at the bath-room window and bores through the water in the bath-tub in lathes and planes of greenish-white. It cleaves the water into flaws like a jewel, and cracks it to bright light.
       

        Little spots of sunshine lie on the surface of the water and dance, dance, and their reflections wobble deliciously over the ceiling; a stir of my finger sets them whirring, reeling. I move a foot and the planes of light in the water jar. I lie back and laugh, and let the green-white water, the sun-flawed beryl water, flow over me. The day is almost too bright to bear, the green water covers me from the too bright day. I will lie here awhile and play with the water and the sun spots. The sky is blue and high. A crow flaps by the window, and there is a whiff of tulips and narcissus in the air.

—Amy Lowell, “Bath” from The Complete Poetical Works of Amy Lowell. Read more about her at www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/amy-lowell/. For more about the prose poem form, see www.baymoon.com/~ariadne/form/prosePoem.htm or poets.org/text/prose-poem-poetic-form/.

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Reminders that James Lee Jobe reads today at the Davis Arts Center Poetry Series in Davis (plus open mic), 2pm; and Taylor Graham reads at Poetry in the Sierra Foothills (plus open mic) at Caffe Santoro in Diamond Springs, 1pm. Scroll down to the blue column (under the green column at the right) for info about these and other upcoming poetry events in our area—and note that more may be added at the last minute.

—Medusa, celebrating green water and days "almost too bright to bear"...

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