A blue bowl, dark as the waters off Crete,
holds artichokes bigger than pomegranates.

Inside, the small hairy heart closes.
Outside, the armor aligns.


Sharpened sky, light as an albino’s eyes,
holds pelicans taut in a swift line like arrows

with heads too big.  When sky looses its bow
the arrows plunge into a sea full of fish.


Dark as the waters off Crete, a heart opens,
ruby seeds nested in yellow flesh.  We are

blind in the school of swimming silver. 
Peeled and undone, we are fed.

This is quite marvelous, Lynn. The images perfect and fabulous, and they accumulate so well, till very moving toward the end--but for one nit: I always thought albino's eyes were pinkish. If so, that one image doesn't work for me, as is. ~Tom

hmmm -- I'm remembering a horse named Sally from my youth.  She had one dark eye and one very nearly white.  My dad used to call her albino.  But that doesn't mean she was by a long stretch.  hmmm.  That will be a tricky image to replace, but sounds as if it needs to be done.  Thanks, Tome -- mucho aprreciated.

lynn

p.s. -- just as I went to post this comment I thought the remedy might be to omit blue and go with A sky, light as [etc.]  Again, thanks.

p.s.s. Went with blossom to modify sky; thought it might work with other flora, plus hint at turn in tone ... ?

Extraordinary!

larry

I think "blossom" is too gauzy for this poem, would very much like to see something sharper, more concrete and vivid here. ~Tom

sharpened sky, light  as an albino's thighs 

?

Larry -- thank you!  very. much.

me

Loved the imagery and the use of repetition in this one, Lynn.

Your "sharpened sky" idea would tie in well, I think, with the "armor" that proceeds it and then the "arrows" that follow. It seems to fit better than "blossom sky."

The title is interesting but I'm uncertain as to whether it is distracting or precisely what is required. Hm. Aren't you glad I mention it and then refrain from offering a solid opinion?

Enjoyed the read.

- Yvonne

I am glad!  This one almost went up with "untitled" and then I decided, Well, just put what it is that is and thus the current title . . . but I am open to suggestions; and solid, or soft, opinions always welcome.

Yes, on the sharpened sky -- leaves sthe reader to determine the look of it, but the emotion of it comes through I think.  Am pretty certain Tom didn't have in mind that I use the word he used to describe what he felt I needed . . . but, hey, if it works ... right?

Thanks for the look and kind words.

lynn

Much to admire here, very visual and superb last line.

Sorry to be repetitive but I had problems (that may be the wrong word) with the areas mentioned already: the title and the albino eyes. The former because it makes me step outside the poem and question intent (not a bad thing per se), the latter because I imagine those eyes to be more milky pink, and not sharp at all.
Also the two short sentences in S2 stand out because of the long sentences everywhere else. Probably your exact intent, but that gives me pause again regards intent. Not a nit, just thought you should know the effect it has on this reader, something for you to consider maybe? Maybe not.

B.

By the way Chicky, love the new avatar. Nice to see at least half of your face :)

B.

Thanks, B.  I "cartoonized" it with lens effects on PhotoSuite.  Pretty serious stuff, eh?

As re: the title ----> step inside the bowl of my mind Sr. Brian, I will break open a pomegranate for you, put a pelican in my strong bow, fire into the swimming silver . . .

Yes, the short sentences are intentional; meant to create a sort of tension that all is not the same, equal, balanced -- nor intended to be.

Interesting take I guess I have on albino eyes -- they are so peculiar, so not the norm, or even just a blue-white blind eye, a dead eye, an eye or eyes not the norm, too pale -- any of these make me take a sharp intake of breath.  They catch me off guard, the surprise of no pigmentation. 

Sharpened may not be the word, but not quite ready to let it go yet.  The title can go any time, just don't have one to replace this one with [which has already changed once btw].

Just finished a cento; lines from Neruda, The Heights of Macchu Picchu. 

Thanks for comments, B.  Always welcome and appreciated.

Lynn - I'm blown away by this - moving it is a supreme pleasure - xo M

ps.  Even though some of the images are strange - they pull me in instead of kicking me out of the poem - they make me want to read it again - wade in it - taste it - figure it out -

Well deserving of a pick! I love the revised title, Lynn. The power of reduction.

- Yvonne

Michelle!  Your supreme pleasure is my supreme pleasure, too!  Thank you. xo

Yvonne -- Good!  Am  glad title reduction is working -- at least for a couple of us.  Thanks for stopping back in to say so.  xo

lynn

How painterly!  Great sense of color.  I want this on my wall.

Rick

Lynn,

This is just beautiful. If I ever decide to get a tattoo, I will be sending you a PM.


Take care,

-O

Great choice for front page!

All,

It's an excellent sign that front page picks are becoming more and more difficult. I must've had at least fifteen windows open at once before I made the final decision... until I stumbled upon this, I felt like the choice between so many wonderful pieces would be almost arbitrary. 

For me, this poem stood out. Its striking brevity, the breadth of its imagination, the crisp lightness of its lines, the strange richness of its images... 'The Mind as a Bowl' has many qualities to recommend it. I'll leave it to others to say more about them. 

It had quite a few contenders, obviously. Actually, I'd like to list them so that they're re-read as often as they deserve to be. These are all of the poems that I (at one time) intended to pick for the front page. So, the honorable mentions/ runners up are as follows:

larry jordan's 'Glass Portrait'
http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,10405.0.html

maggie flanagan-wilkie's 'A Sorority of Wishes'
http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,10401.0.html

Tom Riordan's 'A Native'
http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,10477.0.html

jamesthomashoward's 'When Nana Walks Away'
http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,8975.0.html

Lyn Lifshin's 'HIGH SCHOOL DANCE'
http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,10183.0.html

milner place's 'death and sanchez el viejo'
http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,10528.0.html

brian_edwards' 'Inheritance'
http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,10297.0.html

brian_edwards' 'Language as an Antidote to Bullies'
http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,10075.0.html

Tom Riordan's 'Walrus'
http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,9942.0.html

Lynn Doiron's 'American Gothic'
http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,10237.0.html

joseph lofgren's 'Lee's Dialogue II'
http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,10327.0.html

Last year was an excellent year in PC poetry, and I'm sure this new year will be even better. Thanks to all of you for making that possible.


Happy New Year,

-O

Yum! Now that's a New Year's feast.

Great pick, great poem

milner

Extraordinary pick, Oleska. You have raised the bar for the Front Page. In making mention of others you have had to omit the following, which belong at the top of the list:

http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,8960.msg47241.html#msg47241

http://www.poetrycircle.com/index.php/topic,8064.0.html

larry

Here, here, Larry.

I adore the second one Larry.

Well played O, beautiful colors in this Lynn

Lovely to revisit this one Lady - a fitting place for it to shine

& I love all the links above to visit the other ones  - xo Michelle

Congrats Lynn. Looking back through earlier comments, I take back what I said about the albino eyes -- somehow doesn't bother me at all now.
Thanks for all the links O.

B.

Lavonne -- thank you.  Just home from a day out to find this!  What a gift to begin my new year!

Oleska!  Let me repeat -- What a gift to begin my new year!  And, honestly, when I look at the works considered for this honor, the mere idea of being a "contender" in their midst is an honor.  Listing the links to works by Larry, Maggie, Tom, James, Lyn, Milner, Brian, and Joseph -- is a flat-out terrific way of sharing the wealth of good writing found on pc.  As Larry mentioned, you've raised the bar for Front Page by doing so.  And if I haven't yet said thank you, it's because I'm overwhelmed.  Thanks, O.  You make me believe I can.

Milner -- thank you.  And Larry!  Thank you for adding the link's to two of my favorites by O.

EB, Michelle, and B -- thank you!  [B -- so glad the albino eyes has stopped being such a bother!  but never hold back from telling me what fails in a piece at the time; i do, every once in a while, see the wisdom and make changes; at the very least, you give me cause to figure out the whys of why I opt for one word over another.  A huge factor in the success of this site, IMO.

Again -- everybody -- thank you, thank you, thank you -- and best wishes in the new year. 

lynn

Congrats, Lynn! Tom

An excellent choice, Oleska.

Congratulations & Celebrations, Lynn (and that is the only time I shall ever quote Cliff
                                                   Richard)

James

Nora! YOU KNOW there's nothing to be jealous of . . . and if I knew how to make it work, I'd tell you in a heartbeat.  Sometimes it do and sometimes it don't.  pomegranates and artichokes -- one hard and red and filled with small, hard to get at, seeds; and artichokes, softer and duller and wearing that fake armor that's such a tease to eat.  But you know me.  I go for the color.  Then the texture.  I like things that knock up against each other, opposites that, one way or another, sort of highlight what the other one has or doesn't have.  I'm like a bad cook in the kitchen, throwing everything, including a shoe, into the stew.  Sometimes it's good, even the shoe.  Sometimes -- not.  I have had a streak of extraordinary good luck with the work finding readers who like it enough to stick it up front.  But it's all sort of like a bake-off and what tastes good to one judge is barely palatable to the next.  I babble on too long!  What I mean to say is I'm pretty well stunned when this kind of praise/honor comes around.  [p.s. Wish I had a nanny and artichokes in Italy -- yum!]

xoxoxoxoxo
lynn

What a fine piece!

Thanks, Jay.  Thanks.

Lynn   a stunning piece    a well deserved pick..truly stunning..x

Stella -- thank you!  Glad you enjoyed and truly appreciate your comment.  thanks. ~lynn

Reading this again, it brings back many a holiday- so luminous.

I want nothing more right now than lunch in Greece. Instead I have a biscuit to look forward to and not much else, dammit.

you and me both.
thanks, mike.