Thursday, June 6, 2013

This Isn't A Poem

Poets like to discuss the role of metaphor in poetry in order to examine specific subjects. But poems themselves are metaphors, too, as the following poem inspired by the work of Réné Magritte attempts to explain.
Be sure to check out this quick video to hear me reading it...not to be missed! :-) http://vimeo.com/67793061


This Isn't A Poem

It suddenly struck me as I sat in my familiar chair
towards the back of the white buzzing café,
a hazelnut terzetto staring up at me,

it struck me what Magritte was trying to tell us
when he painted “This Is Not A Pipe” below
the dark strokes of a brown bowl and black stem,

a slight glare the only sign of life beyond it.
He wasn’t pointing out what was real and not
with a wave of disdain to the perplexed viewer

but, rather, was underlining what most of us are
too frightened to admit, that everything is what
we make of it – or not – and objects have no

preference as to the labels spectators cook up.
And I will leave you with that slippery nugget,
close the spinach leaf I was scribbling in,

take a last sip of the faded photograph before me
and step out into the foggy rush hour bee hive,
this life vest slipped carefully into my coat pocket.


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