Saturday, September 18, 2010

JOHN TAGGART ~









PASTORELLE 8



Young woman

Amish

green dress apron translucent white prayer bonnet

strings of her bonnet trailing in the air




rollerskating down the road




by herself alone in the air and light of an ungloomy Sunday afternoon

herself and her skating shadow




the painter said

beauty is what we add to things




and I

chainsawing in the woods above the road

say what could be added

what other than giving this roaring machine a rest.







Somewhere else, I, like others, have showcased this poem before. I can't get enough of it.

Of course it is the girl, the balance of the body (girl and poem), everything of the day spinning in almost midair, her following shadow, the poet with roaring chainsaw knowing it was time to give "it a rest" — both loud living as well the poem. Though this poem resonates, it stops on a feather, a thread. A dime hasn't yet been invented where this poem is coming from.

John Taggart is the son of a preacher man. My bet is no one but the son of a preacher man would ever see this sexual and divine image of translucent white prayer bonnet.

Nothing's perfect, but this poem is close.

There are 350 pages more of the same.



is music
selected poems
John Taggart
edited by Peter O'Leary
Foreword by C.D. Wright
Copper Canyon Press, 2010
www.coppercanyonpress.org







photo : John Taggart
c/o Big Bridge