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Like a
rolling arch goes,
nuzzling into-ground (
where pressure is taste and
friction is sound in the rocks
and dust; in the bleeding greens,
the sharp shocks and round purrs)
, along these simple leather seams,
sinking softly, I am faded blind.
Into the smiling darkness (
where I find I am flying) –
I was wrong to think
“earthly bound.”
The sense
of touch
is like
beinglost
and
f
o
u
n
.
Our worn leather couch. I've burrowed a hole into it. I find it so easy to fall asleep: with my hood pulled up, my feet sunk deep in the crevices between the cushion nests and the back rests all so soft and gray. I disappear. And only the sounds and smells and lights beyond my touch, in the communal kitchen – 5 feet feels sometimes almost 10 miles away – are enough to draw me out from here. – 7 May 2013
ReplyDelete* Thanks Chris N. (couch hobo), John W. / Cynthia H. / Jomeline B. / Lucas P. (couch spirits), Father in a restaurant on State Street (shoulder bed), Todd & Esther (20 years in touch), Eric G. (son-bottling), Greg C. (reunion arm), Angela A. (Dory's paw), David K. (swimming darkness), Julie H. (grass laughter – San Francisco), and Jessica P. (gopher says hello) for making this collage full.
Thanks for the poem. I think it did a great job of describing the environment and the feelings derived from experiencing. To me, it really tied to days where I set time aside for myself and just lay there. There's something beautiful to it. To understanding and experiencing what's around you rather than living through it. To taking in the full meaning of each experience and what it means to you. What it means to be you. To dreaming, which is really deeper understanding of one's true and deep desires.
ReplyDeleteI love how this poem really captures the sensation of touch and the feeling of comfort and freedom that results. As I read this poem, it's as though I am experiencing the sensation of falling into a deep sleep firsthand. What really drew me into this poem was the first couple of lines: "Like a rolling arch goes, nuzzling into-ground...". The shape of the poem aided with this description made it seem as though I could "feel" this rolling sensation, emphasizing the satisfaction found with a sense of touch. Furthermore, the feeling of comfort was also conveyed through the use of alliteration with the "s" sound in "simple leather seams", "sunken softly" and "smiling darkness". Each word is so carefully chosen that the sensory images that result is undeniable. However, each example that the speaker refers to in order to convey the feeling of the couch is only through simile. This goes to show that there is no way to accurately describe each sensation of touch. The only way to truly comprehend what it is like to feel the world around you is to go out and experience it for yourself.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, I do enjoy the comparisons made to describe the sensation of touch, especially the last one which states that "the sense of touch is like being lost and found". It is true that the only way we know of our own existence is because we can experience and "feel" the world around us. It is the sense of touch which verifies our presence here on earth.
Thank you for your poetry!
Madeleine Y.
I know there are a lot of writers who do well at evoking sensations by description ... I try to use that capacity within language to encourage people to go out and feel the world first-hand (I'd hate to think of my writing as something that KEEPS people holed away ... I'd rather chase them out into the day).
DeleteGlad you liked it, Madeleine.
I think you've done a beautiful job of somehow marrying the comfort of this leather couch, something that you know, that you have felt for so long,with imagery of nature, of rocks and dust and green things, of Earth. The poem takes me to this lulled, comforted state that Madeleine described, but at the same time it does seem draw me to go touch something natural; to take pleasure in the things that I know and love and touch everyday, but to also go out in the world and experience new sensations, to learn through feeling. Touch is in fact like being lost and found, whether you're finding that old comfortable couch again or finding something completely new, touching and is knowing and experiencing, it is powerful.
DeleteLike what Thomas described, I feel myself being lulled into some kind of dream state with the rhythm of the poem, the flow of the words and the descriptive words throughout. The common feel and idea of a leather couch is coupled with brand new sensations sparking new pleasurable experiences that stray away from the commonality of a couch. The alliteration of the “s” sounds that Madeleine describes adds to this comforting effect and rolling movement of the words. I like the way you couple physical, literal touch and figurative, imaginative sensations produced from “feelings” and emotions.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading a lot of your poems, I see that sensory detail is a big part of translating a general idea into personal experience. Using these details, you let the reader identify with the comforting feeling of napping on a comfy couch as well as encourage them to get out and experience it for themselves. And correct me if I'm wrong, but the point (if there is a point) of writing such beautiful poetry is to, not drive at a theme, but to translate the feelings that you've had in these unique experiences onto the reader and to urge them to feel these emotions first-hand.
ReplyDeleteI have nothing to correct. :)
DeleteI liked how the structure of this poem reflects the content. The poem begins talking about a rolling arch and the poem itself embodies a rolling arch. This poem gives a sense of infiniteness. The idea that a simple touch can give the sensation of limitlessness. This idea that tactile connection can evoke all the senses of the human body is interesting because it embodies the incessant desires of human nature, to have human contact.
ReplyDeleteI found this poem very aesthetically pleasing and creative. The poems shape seems to emulate a physical sense of touch. The diction of the poem is descriptive and creates almost a velvety tone. The imagery has a sensual theme and creates vivid images that play with the five sense. My favorite part of this poem is the structure because it is creative and reveals the topic of the poem.
ReplyDelete