Verge of Peace
from Verge of Peace:
of course I’m scared
here for a moment before the next change
an old man collapses a handful of clay, centers it again
his hand forms the inner lip of the bowl the way a parent touches
the inner arch of the baby’s foot
what folds, unfolds, erases itself
breaking again what doesn’t break
I’m listening to the sound of the light
it is tensile witness always
and witness grows around me
inner hand that holds me upright
the wide degrees of the inner bowl
of course I’m scared
here for a moment before the next change
an old man collapses a handful of clay, centers it again
his hand forms the inner lip of the bowl the way a parent touches
the inner arch of the baby’s foot
what folds, unfolds, erases itself
breaking again what doesn’t break
I’m listening to the sound of the light
it is tensile witness always
and witness grows around me
inner hand that holds me upright
the wide degrees of the inner bowl
Notes on Verge of Peace:
Verge of Peace is a cycle of 36 poems that arose out of 2
writing instructions given by T Begley in tutorial and in her writing workshop.
The first was the instruction to "write a sentence that does not objectify." The
second was to learn something about peace every day.
These poems are introduced by an passage paraphrasing Simon
Weil's comment that the only effective response to violence is
radiance.
The poems are being made into an installation incorporating
glass, handmade paper and organza.
Verge of Peace is a cycle of 36 poems that arose out of 2
writing instructions given by T Begley in tutorial and in her writing workshop.
The first was the instruction to "write a sentence that does not objectify." The
second was to learn something about peace every day.
These poems are introduced by an passage paraphrasing Simon
Weil's comment that the only effective response to violence is
radiance.
The poems are being made into an installation incorporating
glass, handmade paper and organza.