This is just a quick free entry--comments and critiques welcomed!
What does it feel like?
How do you know when something is right?
Some say it hits you like a bullet to your brain-
But that's too overused, too cliched.
What does it really feel like?
When the sun hits the dew in the morning,
Or the bird hits the high C.
Maybe when the Neapolitan soft serve swirls into a clean spiral on the cone,
Or the cat stretches out on the hammock in the midday sun for a nap.
Is that what it feels like?
But then how do you know when something is wrong?
Some say you just know-
But that's the cowards answer.
What does it really feel like?
When the mugger grabs your purse on the bustling street and disappears,
Or the little girl’s chin and lips start wobbling up and down, faster and faster.
Maybe when your mother looks up across the table with tears in her big brown eyes,
Or the student’s blank stare when you ask for that paper from last week.
Is that what it feels like?
I always like questions in poetry. One, becasue it gives you an idea of what the heck the poem is about. Maybe I'm getting too old, but these days I like to spend my time insode the words and imagery of the poem rather than trying to figure out its meaning. I also like thispoem because not only am I thinking about what feel "right" and what feels "wring", but also what is going on in the authors world to make him or her question right and wrong in the first place.
ReplyDeleteThe imagery is great, form the bird hitting the high C, to the soft serve cone (I picture someone pulling down the nozzle and having to time it just right to get it to swirl right. If you've ever worked at one of these places you'd know its actually an art), to the lazy catch stretching out.
I also like the continutity of the piece. In the beginning you offer an explanation to what feels right, but then you dismiss it in favor of other ideas. And you do the same again when trying to define the "wrong."
I enjoyed this piece!