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Classic and Contemporary Poetry
SURFACES AND MASKS; 43, by CLARENCE MAJOR Poet Analysis Poet's Biography
First Line: In the hidden garden
First Line: In the hidden garden
In the hidden garden
you force perspective
on us
when you push us to flowers
where flowers are
already crowded,
losing their aromatic
ability to whisper names,
names like
Miranda
Luigi
Orlando
Pasquale
Valentino
or kick back at us,
creatures
no stranger than they,
in groves
along the stone fence
like this here
in warm lagoon air
rain-wet air,
like the rooftops
beneath
which we spend
most of our time.
But your garden is special.
You force us to stand
firmly
against the only space
your flowers have left,
while we, sporeless,
rootless,
seasonless, have other
options. Why then do we weep
before these flowers?
Let's gather their camphor scent
with their roughness
and stickiness to our bosoms.
If you have a camera,
click fast because we are
about to move on
and may not return
for a long time.
Used with the permission of Copper Canyon Press, P.O. Box 271, Port Townsend, WA
98368-0271, www.cc.press.org
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