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2 Poems; 1 Reply
by Douglas Penick CORRESPONDANCE (In Memory of Ray Johnson, magical artist and founder of the New York CorrespondAnce school, who took his own life and was last seen waving to the shore as he swam the backstroke out to sea) 1) Sent: To Genevieve Kapular The appeal Of clinging to a self Floats On the great ocean of Mind. Swimming Above currents forever unseen, He passes Pressing on above the depths and shallows, Warmth and cold, Darkness and filtered light, It seems to stop. And here or there, Momentarily, He seems to die. 2) Reply: From Genevieve Kapular That appeal is so poignant, Piercing, Sharp as a ferret’s tooth, With an element of the hunt, With the beauty of the grasses and the trees left behind And now the sky.... 3) Reply: To Genevieve Kapular Above the trees In the wide night sky, There is no realization. Goals, like huge, white, fragrant peonies, Gently drop their red-tinged petals on the sea. They dissolve in darkness. The hunt gives out In silent waves of endless surrender. |
