Monday, April 03, 2023

NaPoWriMo Day 2: Love Song of the Modern Scientist Fascinated By Alchemy


I ended up with a migraine last night after finishing the last performance of five symphonic rock shows my community choir was doing last week, so I finished the poem today instead. I'm late, but at least I tried?

Prompt: Pick words from a given list, write a question for each word, then a one-line answer, and arrange the answers into a poem.


LOVE SONG OF THE MODERN SCIENTIST FASCINATED BY ALCHEMY

Where the Oracle spreads her wings
As high as Jupiter arcs over Mars
Night's softness and menace distilled.
One eye blind to the world and third eye for you
This is the sound of my heart cracking.
You potassium-blowdart into my heart-water
Together we are powerful: a caustic base.
Must I store you in rice to keep your scent eternal?
Your invisible bone-fingers stop my mouth
Crucifix-crimson terminal clusters like alveolae.

5 comments:

Chandni Girija said...

alveolae?

Enjoyed your poem! Alchemical! It begins from a large canvas and then enters the very personal. Nothing is of a single element; there is intensity and clarity but always melancholy. Oh, I have blabbered!

I hope you are better now, Shuku!

Jane Dougherty said...

Oh! This is a good one! The title gives us the thread to hold, and it all makes sense. I think you captured that surreality of the unexpected. Unexpected but not obscure, hidden in a jumble of nonsense.

Anonymous said...

These wonderful lines could stand alone. My hat's off, Shuku!
Where the Oracle spreads her wings
As high as Jupiter arcs over Mars
Night's softness and menace distilled.
One eye blind to the world and third eye for you
This is the sound of my heart cracking.

Chandni Girija said...

Alveolae! Ah! Thank you for introducing me to this word! However, the plural seems to be 'alveoli.' I love the sound of this word; it moves nicely on the tongue. Haha.

Kerfe said...

One eye blind to the world and third eye for you--that is a great image!