.jpg)
"Early Spring in the Field"
The crow's voice filtered through the walls of the farmhouse
makes sounds of a rusty car engine turning over. Clouds on a
north wind that whistles softly and cold. Spruce trees planted
in a line on the south side of the house weave and scrape at the
air. I've walked to a far field to a fence line of rocks where I am
surprised to see soft mud this raw day. No new tracks in the
mud, only desiccated grass among the rocks, a bare grove of
trees in the distance, a blue sky thin as an eggshell with a crack
of dark geese running through it, their voices faint and almost
troubled as they disappear in a wedge that has opened at last
the cold heart of winter.
makes sounds of a rusty car engine turning over. Clouds on a
north wind that whistles softly and cold. Spruce trees planted
in a line on the south side of the house weave and scrape at the
air. I've walked to a far field to a fence line of rocks where I am
surprised to see soft mud this raw day. No new tracks in the
mud, only desiccated grass among the rocks, a bare grove of
trees in the distance, a blue sky thin as an eggshell with a crack
of dark geese running through it, their voices faint and almost
troubled as they disappear in a wedge that has opened at last
the cold heart of winter.
~ Tom Hennen from Darkness Sticks to Everything, Copper Canyon Press, 2013.
Painting by Andrew Wyeth
Nice piece of writing. Especially the very beginning "The crow's voice filtered through the walls of the farmhouse
ReplyDeletemakes sounds of a rusty car engine turning over". Such an accurate description. Beautiful. Thanks for sharing,.
Tom Hennen is one of my favorites. He used to work for the park service here in Minnesota ... a wonderful prose poet.
DeleteI just put that book on hold at my local library. It's a wonderful poem and I want more. :-)
ReplyDeleteIsn't he wonderful? What a lovely way to see life and to live it! :)
DeleteThose two posts where a gate used to be have me fascinated!
ReplyDeleteIntriguing, aren't they? :)
DeleteThanks for introducing Thomas Hennen to me. I will be looking for more of his writings at my library (that is if they have him). -- barbara
ReplyDeleteDo you recall the corn crib poem that led to my micropoem about my own corn crib summer, the one your photo illustrated? The same poet ... :)
Delete" , , , a blue sky thin as an eggshell with a crack
ReplyDeleteof dark geese running through it, their voices faint and almost
troubled as they disappear in a wedge that has opened at last
the cold heart of winter."
Such beautiful imagery, this poem, especially this words that call to me right now, Teresa. I see from your comment above that he worked for the Park Service; a fitting pairing of life for a poet as brave as Hennen is. Of course, the Wyeth painting is a perfect match to this.
Well, done. Well, well done!
Aren't those beautiful lines? Perfect imagery. I'm glad this spoke to you, Penny.
DeleteBeautiful. As I read this I'm looking out at the clouds colored by the fading light of dusk, while a north wind whistles softly and cold. (Even though I'd hoped to be done with cold whistling north winds for a while).
ReplyDeleteI sure hope the predicted freeze didn't affect your planting, Bill. Oh, yes, winds begone!!! :)
DeleteA wonderful share !
ReplyDelete"their voices faint and almost troubled as they disappear" definitely had me seeing and hearing the gaggle going .
I'm glad you like it, Willow. Isn't that an evocative phrase? I love it, too.
DeleteDear Teresa, thank you for introducing me to the words of Tom Hennen. Now I need to go to the library website to see which books of his are shelved just a few miles from me. It is so amazing to me what humans can do with the words of their language. The cadence they will compose with them. Peace.
ReplyDeleteWords enthrall me and he knows how to use them ... I hope you find something by him ... :)
DeleteOo, shivers. Both the image and the image-filled-words feel powerful this afternoon. Thanks for introducing me to Tom Hennen, Teresa! I must add him to my list...
ReplyDeleteHe's a wonderful prose poet. So good to see you here, Emily.
DeleteI really love this painting, it reminds me of somewhere I know. I love the words of Tom Hennen too and I am off to seek his work out. So it is a good start to my day to read your post, thank you Teresa (and also for your kind words).
ReplyDeleteYes, it has a note of familiarity about it ...
DeleteI love the gentleness of those horses at rest.
And you are very welcome... :)