P O E T I C --- P A I N T I N G S


"Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen" -- da Vinci

To write poetry, you must read and, read some more -- Me





Feb 22, 2008

Providence by Natasha Trethewey


Natasha Trethewey








What's left is footage: the hours before
Camille 1969 -- hurricane
parties, palm trees leaning
in the wind,
fronds blown back,

a woman's hair. Then after:
the vacant lots,
boats washed ashore, a swamp
where graves had been. I recall

how we huddled all night in our small house,
moving between rooms,
emptying pots filled with rain.

The next day, our house --
on its cinderblocks -- seemed to float

in the flooded yard: no foundation

beneath us, nothing I could see
tying us to the land.

In the water, our reflection
trembled, disappeared

when I bent to touch it.








From Native Guard: Poems by Natasha Trethewey. Copyright 2006

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

been there 1969, was 7