Buried Life by James Longenbach
I joined a poetry discussion group (yay!). This month’s book was Draft of a Letter by James Longenbach. This poem made me think of Not marble, nor the gilded monuments by Shakespeare. Both refer to man-made structures that do not endure. Shakespeare (perhaps egotistically?) claimed that his words would outlast monuments, while Longenbach implied that natural life (such as trees) will grow again, though they are cut down to build cities.
Buried Life
By James Longenbach
Imagine cities you’ve
Inhabited, streets
Paved in lava stone.
You never intended to pray
In the temples, had
Nothing to sell.
Now imagine yourself
Returning to those same cities.
Hunt for people you knew,
Knock on their doors.
Ask yourself
Where are the vases, animals
Etched in gold?
Where are the wines
From distant places,
Banquets ferreted
From the bowels of the earth?
While you were missing
Other people wore
Your garments,
Slept in your bed.
How frightening
The man who said
In his affliction
Wood has hope.
Cut down
It will flourish.
If the root grows old
And the trunk withers
In dust, at the scent of water
It will germinate.
