Sunday, April 12, 2009

NaPoWriMo#12 - Itinerary




Itinerary


Let’s welcome the morning into our bones,
breathe Detroit into our entwined limbs,
wash our laundry in rice milk and Vernors.
Pack a lunch of your south wind lilt
and dusky sweet Arkansas jam from
plums full of stolen summertime,
drive east down Woodward
with apple blossoms in my hair
and a honey bee halo,
trainspot on the perfect rooftop,
guess where the graffiti is going.
Take the MacArthur Bridge to Hog Island,
throw genie lamps in to Scott Fountain,
worship painted turtles.
Throw flower bombs into the leftover shell of Tiger Stadium
so our story can bloom as wild flowers
and bring pleasure to a stranger’s day.
Dip our toes in Grand River flowing west,
I’ll tell you about ‘67
and the difference between riot and rebellion.
Drive in Venn Diagrams
and stake our claim on the commons.
Let’s hole up in Baker’s and
watch Jabari play the drums.
Eat chicken wings and wish on green stars,
skip Petosky stones across the skies.
Unfold a crisp new map
slide our palms across the cool miles
and enjoy getting lost in
legend waiting to be written.

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Notes: The prompt

napowrimo #12: where do you come from?
Another Sunday, another day of (poetic) introspection … .

So, where do you come from? The mountains? The plains? The city? Do you come from spaghetti on Sundays? Brown bag lunches? Do you come from shag carpeting and plastic slip covers on the sofa? Cows out the kitchen window? Do you hail from noise and congestion or stars and silence?

Today, think about where you grew up. The country, the state, the town, the street, the house, the bedroom, the bed. Be specific. Be sensual (as in capture the smells, the sounds, the taste, the scratch of your towels without fabric softener). Write a poem that shows where you come from in all its unique glory.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I love all the detailed imagery here. Beautifully crafted.

susan said...

Hello fellow Detroiter. Enjoyed this.

Anonymous said...

I love the play of words, and the wonderful imagery. It completely changes my mental image of Detroit. And, it has inspired me to turn off my computer, and go out for a walk!