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Fri 6 May, 2005 11:02 am
Mike Johnson
I noticed this poem online and liked it very much. I thought some others might enjoy it, too.
Quote:"This poem was written in collaboration with a young Chinese poet, Li He, who died twelve hundred years ago; from the collection Vertical Harp."
Song of an ancient arrowhead
1
charred lacquer spots, bone ash
cinnabar stains
in this chill murk, ancient blood has bloomed
green on bronze
proud white feather and gold-leafed shaft
rotted to nothing
just this thin triangle, blunt wedge
ruined wolf fang
2
I scoured the battle plain, driving two nags
through stony fields, to the base of scrubby ridges
far east of my station
eternal winds, brief daylight, truant stars
banners of cloud, saturated black, were hoisted into the void
right and left ghouls, the starveling dead
shrieked hunger for their funeral rites
I tipped the last curds from my flask in libation
charred some cuts of lamb over a bit of a fire
insect sounds died, geese moaned sickly,
swamp reeds were drenched in red
whirlwinds, blasting emerald foxfire
saw me on my way
3
always seeking old things, face screwed up with tears
I scored this severed barb on a battlefield
crooked point crimson splintered
once shafted human flesh
later, on South Street, some sharp kid
tries to trade it for the simple votive baskets
the pious use to pay homage to fallen warriors
I like that poem, Piffka - thank you for introducng the poet here!
By the way, did you like any of the Les Murray poems, on my thread here, speaking of the antipodes?
Hi Deb. He's almost a compatriot, to you, right? As for Les Murray -- haven't seen your thread (I've become a lot less active at searching around a2k.) I've seen several by him that I did like... I will rush right over and look, K?
As it happened, last night I was at a film and a woman I was talking with there was wearing a large arrowhead ... made me immediately think back to this poem and I realized it was more than a little incongruous for this delicate feminine creature (as she was) to be wearing such a tool of death. Shocked me.
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