Thursday, January 14, 2010

House, Garden, Madness by Cate Marvin from "World's Tallest Disaster"




A photo of one of my decoupaged, decorated journals.

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Buy poetry and support new poets!!  This is an amazing poet and a fabulous book of poems!

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House, Garden, Madness
By Cate Marvin

Meeting his mouth made it so I had house again.
I called him garden and drew him so, grew
his long lashes like grasses so I could comb
them with my stare.  Some evenings a low cloud
would arrive, hang its anxiety over the yard.

Having his mouth at mine again gave me back
home.  The walls painted themselves blue
flowers grew larger than my head, stared
at me with wide eyes through the windows.
I was surrounded.  A cloud stretched gray arms.

His mouth and mine again built something back
up with heat.  The house was home again, wherever
I lived.  The flowers grew fat, fed on weeds
around them.  Ladybugs tucked their red luck
beneath petals' chins.  The cloud came home again.

His eyes were closed but mine kept swinging open.
I saw him in the garden, surrounded by its light.
The flowers cut their own stalks, handed themselves
over to him in bunches.  He kissed their bouquets,
and petals raptured.  A cloud lowered, dark with fury.

I pressed my mouth to palm, closed my eyes
to find the garden, then saw:  window shut in fright,
roots drowned, flower stalks broken, their heads dead
in puddles.  Startled, I looked around.  The cloud
descended, prepared to hemorrhage in my arms.

From:  "Poetry Daily", page 173
first published in The Paris Review, no. 158, Spring, Summer 2001
also from "World's Tallest Disaster" by Cate Marvin

15 comments:

GYPSYWOMAN said...

hello there - i have followed a long here at your beautiful blog for a while and thought i had at least sent you a hello note but cannot find it in the comments here - so - i'm just dropping by to say how much i love your blog - and how wonderful to come across a louisiana girl - well, i notice several louisiana references here, anyway - i'm from shreveport! and LOVE the revel!!!

Unspoken said...

Having his mouth at mine again gave me back
home.
Oh, how could it begin there and go so wrong....

This was exquisite. thanks for the intro.

Kelly said...

Love the new haircut and color!! You're lookin good, girl!

Marion said...

Jenean, thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I've been going to the Revel since the first one when they used to have it along the river front. I grew up in Shreveport, (graduated from Woodlawn High School) and now live in Central Louisiana. My favorite part of town is the Highland area. When my son-in-law was at LSU medical school, he and my daughter lived near Centenary College and it was pure heaven. We gained ten pounds from walking up to Strawn's and eating those killer Strawberry Pies they make. Come again soon. Blessings!

She Writes, I'm glad you enjoyed the poem. I fell in love with her style and love her poetry. I keep discovering new poets this year. It's like falling in love over and over again. Sublime!! Blessings!

Kelly, thank you. I love the cut and the color. I let my hair grow to my shoulders and hated it, so I cut it right past my ears a few months back. Yuck, too! I had Patti come out of retirement just to give me this short do. She didn't even charge me! Thanks for the compliment. I appreciate you, my friend. Love & Blessings!!

Phoenix said...

This is beautiful :)

Marion said...

Thanks, Phoenix. Blessings!

Rick said...

Marion, hmmm...wonderin if a poem about this anxious cloud was random. hmmm...
Your friend, Rick

quid said...

This was just beautiful!

quid

Marion said...

Rick, PURELY RANDOM, man, purely random. One of my friends in Tennessee on Facebook told me to grab the book closest to me, turn to a page 173 and post a certain line. This is the poem came up. Now is THAT random enough for you??? LOL! Thanks for stopping by, friend. Blessings!

Quid, I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Blessings, my friend!

Renee said...

I don't know if I ever told you that one of the things that I absolutely love when I come is looking at the changes on your sideboard.

Look how pretty you are in that revel.

xoxox

Marion said...

You are BEAUTIFUL, Marion...and I love the colour of your hair! Since my hair has been grey since forever, I sometimes wonder what I would look like with my hair coloured...and then I keep thinking of those roots coming in grey and I quickly change my mind, lol!

I love the cover of your journal, it's so personal. "Discovering the hidden"...very cool!

Renee said...

You in the new haircut new year picture is gorgeous. I totally place that voice with that face.

Love the cats. Meow.

xoxo

Renee said...

Marion my Dad smoked up to the end too and at that point it was whatever.xoxoxoxo

Woman in a Window said...

All that possibility around an open mouth...

I'm just trying to learn how to keep mine closed!

xo
erin

Marion said...

Renee, it was so good talking to you. You'd think a rock star had phoned me. LOL! I love you, dear friend! xoxo

Erin, I have that problem, too. Keeping my mouth shut. Thanks for stopping by, my pal. Blessings!