Poetry
Road Trip
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Tue, 07/21/2015 - 21:13This morning, I woke up to a great idea for a long, complicated poem. I had a general idea, phrases I wanted to use, and an overall outline. A long day has passed, with usual tasks at work, followed by a community event in the evening. By the time I got home, the idea for the poem had evaporated. I wished I had written down some notes. Hopefully, the idea will return.
I spend a little time looking at the tabs that are open in my browser. Perhaps one of them will give a clue. Is it something about ‘Dabar Yawheh’? None of the other currently open tabs seem to provide a lead.
I get distracted looking at THE OBSESSIVELY DETAILED MAP OF AMERICAN LITERATURE'S MOST EPIC ROAD TRIPS. What was William Least Heat Moon’s path in Blue Highways? Which road trip books included Connecticut?
Then, the idea starts to come back. The Road Trip. Starting from #Rhizo15. Getting lost in books as a kid, in encyclopedias, in libraries, and finally, on the road. All of it as a metaphor for that great trip, from cradle to grave, along with whatever comes before or after. I think of the great epics. I think of travelogues. I think of the Camino de Santiago, the 88 temples of Shikoku. I think of my own journeys when I was younger, and virtually retracing some of Blue Highways. I think of Wim Wenders Road Trip Trilogy, and I think of wandering in the desert for forty years.
Heat
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Mon, 07/20/2015 - 19:24It is still early in the morning,
but the air is think
with heat and humidity.
Beside the road
the chicory,
purple loosestrife
and Queen Anne’s Lace
stand motionless.
Even wild flowers
can’t provide inspiration
in this heat.
The Funeral
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Mon, 07/13/2015 - 14:06The young girl
wistfully sniffed
the red carnation
before
placing the flower
gently
on the waiting casket
as her sister
wept quietly
in the corner.
Searching
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Mon, 07/06/2015 - 19:40It’s hard to concentrate
as the helicopter
flies up and down the river,
searching.
I read old emails
from a father and son
about a website
we worked on,
together.
Then I glance at the news
about the father
whose only son
was stabbed to death.
I can’t imagine the pain.
It’s hard to concentrate
as the helicopter
flies up and down the river.
searching.
I read Facebook
where a friend posts
about the seven year old boy
who was killed by a gunman
aiming for his father.
I can’t imagine the pain.
It’s hard to concentrate
as the helicopter
flies up and down the river,
searching.
I take a walk at lunch time
Three rescue trucks
return to the firehouse
and the baby boy
believed to be thrown
from the arching bridge
by a young man attempting suicide
still hasn’t been found.
I can’t imagine the pain.
Grief
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Fri, 06/26/2015 - 21:43It’s not just that rain
is an overused metaphor
for tears
or the grey of the sky
often symbolizes grief
The air had a cold clamminess to it
like I imagined a dead body would.
It was like one of those mornings
on vacation
when you knew it was going to rain
but you’d go to the beach anyway.