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Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Lost In A Sea Of Words

The Great Wave of Kanagawa - Hokusai
She drank an ocean of English words
Filling herself up with each one, drop by drop.
Their heritage wide and wild as the world.

She packed them into her Ox-bridge-loving
soul along with her favorite sweater,
her sorority cap and sweatshirt to

take to an island nation so she could blow them
like iridescent bubbles
to little Japanese children.

How could she know they would flow
with the tide and rolling back
overtake her

as she tried to escape on her bicycle,
a huge wave of words in the vast sea
returned to capture her forever.

In Memoriam and in honor of Taylor Anderson who died in the Japanese Tsunami
March 11, 2011.

(c) Gay Reiser Cannon * 2011* All Rights Reserved



17 comments:

  1. Exquisite, Gay-- the tide in this poem, the suffusion of imagery pull me in. So evocative. xxj

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  2. wow .... so sad but yet so beautiful ...thank you

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  3. A beautiful tribute in a tragic occurence.

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  4. As Ann said, a beautiful tribute, Gay.

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  5. From source to source, a brilliant dive into the sea of language which we swim in, to ends we have no control over, like the restless, margeless seas. I so identify with the first part's education in the word, all of that reading like so much drinking, so much sailing ... and the parallel pouring-out of what's been given exactly when that other sea taketh all away is so bittersweet. As everyone else has said, a beautiful elegy ... Brendan

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  6. Oh, wow! Beautiful! This is just amazing:

    How could she know they would flow
    with the tide and rolling back
    overtake her
    as she tried to escape on her bicycle,
    a huge wave of words in the vast sea
    returned to capture her forever.

    Wonderful poem, lovely tribute!

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  7. Sorry guys. It may be a few days before I get to comment on your work. There is a lot going on for me right now. I will be reading on my iPad as I get some time but I'll respond on computer all later. Sending love & appreciation.

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  8. Oh, so beautiful a tribute! Well versed my friend!

    My Post Is Here

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  9. gay this is amazing - such a beautiful tribute and such fantastic imagery..i think that's one of my favs by you so far..

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  10. This is both measured, and sincere, very musical in rhythm and feel--a sad music, but with dignity. Excellent writing,Gay.

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  11. Ooo, I like the bicycle twist! Sends me on a new journey. Cool.

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  12. beautifully written poem, so tragic but a wonderful tribute as well

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  13. a wonderful tribute to Taylor Anderson, Gay. one of many losses that day, but one of the few where we know what happened. beautifully written.

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  14. Emotional. Too much to take in on one read. I love the phrasing.

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  15. Loved the story between the lines...

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  16. So many wasted lives. Her parents were told at first that she had survived. I like the way your poem seems to surge and then fall back ... like the tides. And then the final engulfing wave...

    I thank you for your comments on my blog about "blank" verse. I would like to attempt to write one and I would love for you to critique it. That is if I succeed in creating one. Thank you!

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