I read Aaron Smith's new book of poems, Blue on Blue Ground, while on vacation and enjoyed it a lot. It won the 2004 Agnes Lynch Starrett award. The poems are direct, unabashed, and full of variety. There is pathos as well as more than a little dark humor. Here's a sampling:
Prayer for a Doctor
May sadness tighten your belt, cause your body
To swell, your head
Leak serotonin, and nobody, no-
Body to listen. May your wait in yellow
Rooms be long
And terrifying, may you stand and run
Hands over tools left out to be used
On you. May you be bullied.
May appointments be impossible.
May you miss work to sit
And sit and worry and nobody
Care, nobody care. May your body
Be stripped and seen, stripped clean,
Shaved, made dirty
With touch, erased from the sum
Back to parts. May your body be taken
Apart. May your body be taken. May you tremble,
Be told to relax,
Calm down. May the light turn black,
And the air turn thin
As silk, may your coat be stained,
May your coat be stained.
— Aaron Smith
Sunday, October 09, 2005
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6 comments:
So many books to buy!
Thanks for letting us know about Aaron's book. I've put it on my must buy list.
I better get a job soon.
I love what DA Powell wrote in his blurb for the book: "...a book that will leave bite marks on the inner thigh of literature."
It's a pleasure, Eduardo.
I just met Aaron today and heard him read a few—he recognized me from the blog (yikes).
He seemed very cool, and his poems as well.
Funny—I just posted about him before reading this.
Great poem. Reminds me why I try so damned hard to be understanding of patients. Sad part is that I don't think any of us are ever understanding enough.
Wow! That's one awesome poem.
By the way, my word verification word is turrdl.
Wonderful poem . . . it has such a razor-sharp slice to it. Will definitely make sure to get the book.
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