Divinations III: Lakes, Cosmic Convergence, & the Scientific Sublime
“We can find poetry anywhere we look.”
In our third (and numerically auspicious, so says Sandy) episode of the Divinations seven-part mini-season, poet Standra Yannone and I discuss my work-in-progress poem “Hereafter,” which is inspired by a whole host of things:
the Little Oracles lexical fractal "lake” (part of the original Little Oracles multimedia digital installation, back on view at littleoracles.com/exhibit)
Sandy’s inaugural poem, “The Stars on the Snake River” from Episode 2 of the miniseries
and Ada Limón’s “After the Fire”
Hereafter
After “After the Fire” by Ada Limón
by Allison Arth | A work-in-progress poem
Whether by chance, by red-weather-charm, to chance a change of coastline, from coats lined with flannel to those lined with down, filed in a childhood closet, those soft arms unfilled, like to say: where have you been?
I once saw a downed forest, first felled by flame, next drowned by lake — can I call it a forest if here lie the trees; here lie calcine; here carbon, less-leaves; here lie they in state, criss-cross this concave, this mere new-made and landlocked in stasis (that liminal space); where wind, and wildlife, and water now laves; where like a salve, these slow states of decay; where lake laps on charcoal, like to slake its own shame, like to make right, like to say: if only I’d been here.
We get into the intensity of the word “if,” poetry as a chance to change, manifesting cosmic convergence (led by Ada Limón), and more. Plus, Sandy shares a snippet of her response poem to my featured reading. Find the full transcript here.
xx, aa
