...courtesy of Sylvia Plath
YOU'RE
Clownlike, happiest on your hands,
Feet to the stars, and moon-skulled,
Gilled like a fish. A common-sense
Thumbs-down on the dodo's mode.
Wrapped up in yourself like a spool,
Trawling your dark as owls do.
Mute as a turnip from the Fourth
Of July to All Fools' Day,
O high-riser, my little loaf.
Vague as fog and looked for like mail.
Farther off than Australia.
Bent-backed Atlas, our travelled prawn.
Snug as a bud and at home
Like a sprat in a pickle jug.
A creel of eels, all ripples.
Jumpy as a Mexican bean.
Right, like a well-done sum.
A clean slate, with your own face on.
Clownlike, happiest on your hands,
Feet to the stars, and moon-skulled,
Gilled like a fish. A common-sense
Thumbs-down on the dodo's mode.
Wrapped up in yourself like a spool,
Trawling your dark as owls do.
Mute as a turnip from the Fourth
Of July to All Fools' Day,
O high-riser, my little loaf.
Vague as fog and looked for like mail.
Farther off than Australia.
Bent-backed Atlas, our travelled prawn.
Snug as a bud and at home
Like a sprat in a pickle jug.
A creel of eels, all ripples.
Jumpy as a Mexican bean.
Right, like a well-done sum.
A clean slate, with your own face on.
A nice and fine afternoon with you, Kim. Dude. We love you.
4 comments:
Hey. I am snooping on your blog! It is so cryptic to me, but I love it. Especially the whole thing about your dad and the beans and then the translation of the get-well letter and Talmage not in his bed. Miss having you in Utah. Come visit anytime.
Along with everything else, she's a poet! Even though this is a personal ode to Kim and knowing her (or him) would render the poem less perplexing, it is that element of mystery that piques one's interest. I love the intriguing word combinations--pictures (such as feet to the stars and sprat in a pickle jug) and sounds (creel of eels and Bent-backed Atlas) and the many fascinating similes. I had to look up creel and sprat...Kim must like to fish. I am puzzled by moon-skulled and a character trait that might relate to rippling eels and the use of "holi-dates." Thanks for sharing, I've enjoyed reading it a number of times and think it would be exciting to meet Kim. I hope you'll post more poetry. (P.S. Fun Photo!!)
Oh, thanks for enlightening me...I'm sorry to sound so confused, but it looked like the photo was taken by "Sylvia Plath" and since I'm not familiar with her as a poet, I assumed you wrote the poem. I do recognize Kim!!!...I just didn't remember her name was Kim! In a way, I'm disappointed that the poem isn't about someone you know and that you would have interpreted it for me, but it's still a delightful concoction of words.
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