Poem: "Slipfast"
Mar. 11th, 2024 12:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem was written outside the regular prompt calls. It fills the "Landscape Sketch" square in my 3-1-24 card for the National Crafting Month Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by janetmiles. It belongs to the series A Poesy of Obscure Sorrows.
"Slipfast"
longing to disappear completely;
to melt into a crowd and become invisible,
so you can take in the world without having
to take part in it -- free to wander through
conversations without ever leaving footprints,
free to dive deep into things without
worrying about making a splash
You ghost your way though the world
without once disturbing its surface,
turning sideways to slide through
the empty spaces in the crowd.
In the gaps of conversation
you speak, tweaking the air into
meaning, yet never crossing
the line of another's speech.
You move into and through
and back out of the throng, and
nobody notices your passage.
The sidewalk scrolls endlessly
under your feet until it runs out,
and then you continue until you
reach the end of the field as
well, where grass and weeds
turn to bushes and trees.
Nature doesn't notice you
noticing it; as long as you are
careful and quiet about it,
the birds will go on singing,
the deer and rabbits browsing.
Life becomes a landscape sketch
through which you wend your way
seamlessly, one pencil line lost
among many, conjoined with
the scribbles of trees and grass,
united with nature at last.
* * *
Notes:
The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig, p. 9. Simon & Schuster, 2021.
janetmiles. It belongs to the series A Poesy of Obscure Sorrows."Slipfast"
longing to disappear completely;
to melt into a crowd and become invisible,
so you can take in the world without having
to take part in it -- free to wander through
conversations without ever leaving footprints,
free to dive deep into things without
worrying about making a splash
You ghost your way though the world
without once disturbing its surface,
turning sideways to slide through
the empty spaces in the crowd.
In the gaps of conversation
you speak, tweaking the air into
meaning, yet never crossing
the line of another's speech.
You move into and through
and back out of the throng, and
nobody notices your passage.
The sidewalk scrolls endlessly
under your feet until it runs out,
and then you continue until you
reach the end of the field as
well, where grass and weeds
turn to bushes and trees.
Nature doesn't notice you
noticing it; as long as you are
careful and quiet about it,
the birds will go on singing,
the deer and rabbits browsing.
Life becomes a landscape sketch
through which you wend your way
seamlessly, one pencil line lost
among many, conjoined with
the scribbles of trees and grass,
united with nature at last.
* * *
Notes:
The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig, p. 9. Simon & Schuster, 2021.
(no subject)
Date: 2024-03-11 02:40 pm (UTC)You probably know this yourself, but if you sit still and quiet enough it's like the world forgets you're there. I've had field mice scamper across my feet and rabbits use my knees as vantage points while I just sat and observed.
Yes ...
Date: 2024-03-11 07:36 pm (UTC)Re: Yes ...
Date: 2024-03-11 07:49 pm (UTC)Well, I can't say I've done that, but I have walked up to and tagged a deer almost... she ran off just as I was within a fingers width of her.
I'd like to try that again, but there's not actually too many places in the UK with wild deer, most of them are in wild-life parks and are so used to humans they'll come up to you and scrounge food, obviously they don't count. Actually, getting away from them is more of a challenge!
Re: Yes ...
Date: 2024-03-11 08:13 pm (UTC)A historic park near here has very aggressive geese, you have to keep the windows rolled up on the car or they'll reach inside. One time my school class volunteered there. Everyone else was afraid of the geese. When one of them came into the cabin looking for food, I used the business end of a broom to remove the goose. Everyone looked at me like I'd slain a dragon. LOL
Re: Yes ...
Date: 2024-03-11 08:29 pm (UTC)Heh, slaying a dragon might be easier! There's a reason why the Romans used them to guard Rome after all..
very true
Date: 2024-03-13 12:19 am (UTC)Re: very true
Date: 2024-03-13 01:02 am (UTC)