Throughout The Day

Bob, , ,

A strange moon surfaces,
Braces itself on wooden beams, on trestles of late afternoon bird-song,
Nest of graffiti branches, twigs of quantum fluctuations.

Along the railroad tracks, the summer flowers in their uncountable realness, stemmed and leafed,
Stubborn as celestial bodies, all neck and eyelash.

The world is magnificent and real
In all its handsome revolution, allotted in its terrifying vastness,
Plucked by chance verse, the seasons wobble, the sunlight on garbage day is bright and clear.

A strange translation in the mirror, but I don’t mind, consistency leaves me uneasy.

Between your tattoos and your poems, rustle the late August leaves,
Chime the endless being and becoming,
The last train, the missed bus, the walk home in the rain, solitary, and yet as the rain lifts,
The strides lift, like bloomed flowers in broken pots.

The first note, the second note, the third note, I guess it will be a song, a scaling of fences,
A scribbling of verses, of feral melodies on forgotten walls,
Of throwing wild seeds in the unkempt lots.

You are up early, such light mingles with the skin, lifts the self into a sheer beautiful panic.

Such thoughts jingle at the periphery in lasting meandering akin to a cosmic drifting,
Swallowing mouthfuls of summer afternoons,
Tracing the edge of the moon with finger and one eye closed.

14 thoughts on “Throughout The Day”

  1. I like how you open this poem with “a strange moon surfaces.” It seems to guide the poem like a miner’s light, hammering home the reality of a new season, of the baseball playoffs and the NFL launching and in that it’s the moon, it’s got phases and inconsistency and that warms me up to the line, “A strange translation in the mirror, but I don’t mind, consistency leaves me uneasy.”

    I remember a poetry teacher of mine once said something to the effect of “make yourself mercurial.” I guess he was referring to moods and moon phases and what you point out perfectly Bob…..”consistency leaves me uneasy.” Great job! Enjoy the weekend. I work at a university and they are killing us in this new student season with tons of work so I keep reminding myself – one job at a time, obvious I guess, but it seems to be working.

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    1. I hear you about work. I’m in the same boat at the university I work at. I’m most looking forward to hockey starting. That’s good advice from your teacher. I’m really glad you liked that line. A lot of the times repetition is just me being lazy in a way. Have a great weekend and forget about work!!

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    1. Sometimes we are so used to what’s around us, we can almost snooze through our days. It’s good to remind myself that this is all real and magnificent. Thanks!!

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  6. Somehow I missed this poem…but what a wonderful surprise to find it this morning! Gorgeous work here, Bob. I love the line, “A strange translation in the mirror, but I don’t mind, consistency leaves me uneasy.” The stanza that follows stands out to me, as well.

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