dusty feet on a
dirt road afternoon
and i keep walking
sun beat
dry skin
lost compass
weary
in the distance
i hear a crow cackle
coyote call warning
snake row corn row snake row
bony knees cracking
knocking bruises
in time with each step
i have this dress
bare shoulders
rude toes
and this box
i carry
filled with feather and bone
there is no place
to settle into
no shelf to hold
my treasure
the sky hum hovers
peripheral
heat sunk
golden
weightless
i just keep walking
.
.
.
.
A poem a day for 30 days, in honor of National Poetry Month.
This post is part of NaPoWriMo. see more here.
April 27th, 2013 at 1:44 pm
fascinating descriptions…love that row snake row line…the knees knocking, rude toes…ha..the box of bone and feather…those last couplets really carry the emotion in this for me…
April 27th, 2013 at 3:10 pm
You have created atmosphere wonderfully in this poem. I can almost taste the dust in the air, and that coyote is ominous on such a hot day!
April 27th, 2013 at 3:32 pm
Yes, a beautiful (if weary) cadence here and very strong descriptions and choice of images. Thanks. k.
April 27th, 2013 at 3:39 pm
Love it, Kelly… and congrats for being the featured blog on NaPoWriMo today.
April 27th, 2013 at 3:45 pm
I feel a very heavy weight of sadness in this poem; for me it conjures up the image of a child walking, lost and alone in a vast landscape. The crow cackle and coyote call add a sense of menace and danger too.
April 27th, 2013 at 3:48 pm
I like that the words mirror like steps while walking ~ The sounds are sharp too, along with that image of the box filled with feather & bone ~ Lovely share ~
April 27th, 2013 at 4:06 pm
such deep and intricate beauty.
no shelf to hold
I admire your rhythm and flow
April 27th, 2013 at 4:23 pm
I get the feeling the walker is bent but not broken…still proud and able to enjoy the journey…hoping only for a simple home to rest and place her possessions. So very nice
April 27th, 2013 at 4:37 pm
a box filled with feather and bone…intriguing…the dress as well..sometimes it takes us just everything to keep on walking…
April 27th, 2013 at 5:33 pm
What a beutiful painting poetry of wandering .. I get desert vibes and a lot of melancholy. Thank you for sharing,
April 27th, 2013 at 5:56 pm
Oh this is amazing. I cringed at the lines about bruises. Very real and very strong words create such an image for the reader in this. I can feel that sun. I like the snake rows and corn rows 🙂
April 27th, 2013 at 8:02 pm
Wonderful it reminds me very much of Kerouac…the crow cackle, the coyote call, just even the title and form…very much enjoyed!
April 27th, 2013 at 8:15 pm
I got a strong sense of the freedom/just being of childhood–the rhythm of ‘snake row corn row..’ like a jumprope chant, and the whole luxuriant yet difficult place of being idle and your mind and senses processing so much that you are almost exhausted just looking and walking and thinking…great stuff.
April 27th, 2013 at 8:58 pm
i know i’ve said this before, but this is my favorite. i know this road and i carry a similar box. you see into things and turn those visions into words. amazing.
April 27th, 2013 at 9:20 pm
Lovely, really, to feel the earth under your feet in rambling through its fields. I like the sense of being at home that you create, but also somehow being a visitor. What is that weirdness, I wonder? Whatever it is, it adds a new dimension to both the world of nature and the world of the human being. All of this is beautifully conveyed in your poem.
April 27th, 2013 at 9:50 pm
The gathering of treasures…i like that alot. Commenting from dVerse.
April 27th, 2013 at 9:55 pm
You’ve created a lovely walking rhythm with this, Kelly.
April 27th, 2013 at 11:22 pm
Lovely flow of words..
weightless
i just keep walking
April 28th, 2013 at 5:28 am
I feel tired from walking this road with you. Loved the “rude toes”.
April 28th, 2013 at 11:06 am
Love the shape and movement of this… just keep walking. = )
April 28th, 2013 at 1:43 pm
searching for that place to settle into.
I can literally see you on that road.
April 29th, 2013 at 5:38 am
..down the road of life..this has a youthful summery optimistic feel to me; keep walking for there is much ahead of you 😉