Registered: Oct 2001
Location:
Posts: 18139

Slothful

Slothful! Hmmph!
I took a ride on the old Ford tractor
When the shadows grew long,
And marked the fresh cut grass
That with long straight rows
Marked “lawn” or “pasture” from “habitat”.

“Slothful” from old English “slou” meaning “slow”
An Anglo-Saxon or at least a Nordic word then,
Well better that than Latin roots
For my title. The Germanic people
Never really learned the art of vituperation.
I worry for the fawn whose weedy home he cut.

The slightly bitter smell of broom is mixed with
Sweet musty grass and winey pecan tree sap.
How overpowering it must be to those who can smell.
Slothful! Oh how I have fallen!
What does one mix with the clay of idol’s feet?
Slothful, indeed! Lear, you said it true.

There are two paddocks left for fawn
And fox and caring doe.
Which way did he run? And how do does call their young?
I never thought to ask. I will suspend
My title to the levee paddock
And deed it alone to fox and fawn and doe till All Saints Day.

He found the gate, I see.
It hugs the fence and only trembles as the mower passes
“Grow up in a week” , he said.
Maybe. Maybenot. But the fawn must live.
I watched a red-tailed hawk watching me.
In lazy circles overhead. Now there is sloth!

And then as shadows deepened
I widened the track to the river
And sat to watch the waters flow Gulfward.
El Rio de los Brazos de Dios,
And I was glad that it was
Still to some “the Arms of God”.

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: Hilbert Space
Posts: 35656

That is pretty interesting.

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Registered: Apr 2001
Location: 0.50
Posts: 9355

certainly is. i liked it.

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Registered: Oct 2001
Location:
Posts: 18139

why is this in IOD?

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Registered: May 2002
Location:
Posts: 8820

Dammit, I clicked on an IOD thread, I demand visual accompaniment.

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Registered: Sep 2003
Location: China
Posts: 355

Now my english is really poor to read it. :-(

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Let life wait, for the next port......
http://www.aypwip.org/webnote/edle

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Registered: Sep 2000
Location: The Bottom of the Toyem Pole
Posts: 9454

Didn't he intend to write it thus?:

There are two paddocks left for fawn
And fox and caring doe with their unicorn hearts.
Which way did he run? And how do does call their young?
I never thought to ask. I will suspend
My title to the levee paddock
And deed it alone to fox and fawn and doe till All Saints Day.

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Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Kansas City
Posts: 7504

Just thought I'd mention that I showed this to a friend who writes about poetry for The New York Review of Books, and whose work has been published in Ploughshares, Slate, and The New Republic, among other places. He enjoyed it quite a bit. Said one of Oxsan's lines reminded him of "A young Seamus Heaney," in fact. Hope you don't mind me taking the liberty, Oxsan.

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Registered: Apr 2001
Location: 0.50
Posts: 9355

it's in iod because the art forum was merged into it.

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Registered: Nov 2001
Location: Rio de los Brazos de Dios
Posts: 3876

I don't mind at all ChipsJr. I was delighted to hear his comment. I am not familiar with Seamus Heaney but I will remedy that.

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oxsan


Don't kick until yer spurred.

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