Distortion

[dcmarti1]

Distortion

...and the peasant whose vision was bounded by his own valley.
James Bryce (1871), The Holy Roman Empire



Like the peasant whose vision
is bounded by her own valley,
I saw only what I dared
to see of you, only what I wanted
to see of you. Oh, yes,
there was soccer and the zoo
with children from a previous life;
curious that their mother
deigned not to descend.
The Eldest had a thought,
for he asked you what kind of friend I was;
the Middle only rode my shoulders
along both grass and stone;
the Youngest was simply present,
living the moment with his dad.
Two train rides -one to bring them back
and a second to bring us back-
preceded our only walk in the rain,
before our only quiet dinner at Annie's:
our only walk in the rain
from 11 months of uncaged birds,
a cat bought on a whim in Georgetown,
a karaoke box from a Confederate mall,
and five separate visions
from the same indifferent valley.

 

(*Annie's: a long-lived restaurant in the Dupont area of Washington, DC.)

[badger11]

I like the capitalization, kind of biblical, and the children part was my fav, bit with the levels of engagement and knowing..I presume life distorted by the parameters set.

 

badge

[Larsen M. Callirhoe]

Oddly I was just looking at this same book I believe it is or document whatnot from the same guy you mentioned oddly believe it or not. This letter/ book appeared to purchase for my kindle application and I am wondering if it is worth getting and the time to read. If this exquisite poetry is from the thoughts procured from the passages of that work I might get it to read however long it might bee. It was under several dollars or maybe even free to get. Enjoy your reads always Marti. If you read my recent postage, don't think of it as sad, more like morbid in a way as telling someone how it was wishing how it could be in your imaginations and imaginings instead. I think that is how I garner this piece as well. I am a fan of your work my poet friend.

 

victor.

[dcmarti1]

Oddly I was just looking at this same book I believe it is or document whatnot from the same guy you mentioned oddly believe it or not. This letter/ book appeared to purchase for my kindle application and I am wondering if it is worth getting and the time to read.

 

victor.

 

The book was written in the 1800s, so the copyright has expired. I found a free PDF from books.google.com:

 

http://books.google.com/books?id=O8cQAAAAYAAJ

 

That line from his book just really struck me, and it brought back memories of this REAL event in my life & how I interpret my past. There is a great formality to his book, so I limited myself to reading about 10 pages per day, but it is not too difficult a read.....

 

Glad you enjoyed it.

[dcmarti1]

I like the capitalization, kind of biblical, and the children part was my fav, bit with the levels of engagement and knowing..I presume life distorted by the parameters set.

 

badge

 

The names were changed to protect the innocent, haha. ;)

[dr_con]

Very lush piece, the detail, the image, the loss: All just beautiful.

 

Well done.

 

Juris

[fdelano]

I read and enjoyed this as a jolt to memories of my three sons growing up, their individual talents and travails, and my thanks for being able to retain the good parts of our experiences, which are ongoing as adults. Thank you.

[dcmarti1]

Very lush piece, the detail, the image, the loss: All just beautiful.

 

Well done.

 

Juris

 

It was horrific at the break-up, but 2 decades later.....will let me find joy in SOME of that moment. Thanks, as always.

[dcmarti1]

I read and enjoyed this as a jolt to memories of my three sons growing up, their individual talents and travails, and my thanks for being able to retain the good parts of our experiences, which are ongoing as adults. Thank you.

 

You are welcome, as always, amigo mio. "Retain the good".....there's maybe a poem in that..... :)

[tonyv]

Marti, I'm too stubborn to see more than I want to or even to accept that there could be more. I do pay for that arrogance. A peculiar pathology it is ... I don't like pain, but when it comes to emotional capital will I ever stop throwing good money after bad?

 

Tony