Landscape with Figures (Poem)

Here's the poem I promised a few minutes ago. It was inspired by a photograph Grandma gave all of us last Christmas. I mention it here (at the end of the post), but thought it deserved a more poetic treatment.

As always, I'm open to your feedback.

* * * *

Landscape with Figures


I’m sure this is how
they’d want to be remembered—

pansies (some salmon, some pink with white tips),
geraniums, tulips, and phlox to their right and left;

a patch of daisies just behind; a small grove of aspen
farther back, by the property line, trunks skirted by juniper,

leaves early summer green. Yet, as I work to fix them
within this vessel of word and memory, their graying bodies

blur into gardens sprung out of Eden’s clarity:
Cursed is the ground, God had said; and they’d blessed it

with breath and sweat and with callused hands and
fingers engrained with the years of soil they’d

layered on seeds and tucked
around the roots of plants. Posed here (rib to rib

beside their sprawling oak, his shoulders
trim with reserve, arms straight, hands anchored

to his thighs; her posture loose, fresh tulips in hand,
legs poised to greet us beyond their frame) they slip

into the shadow of once diseased branches
now swallowed in the vines he’d planted

years ago
to keep the dead tree green.

How could I forget?

I realized today that I've been negligent in my duty to promote Mormon letters, more specifically as they pertain to the latest issue of Irreantum, which, coincidentally contains three (well, technically, four) of my poems: "Two Poems on Fatherhood," "Watching the Sunrise in St. George, Utah," and "Fourth Month Rosary." Since I've already posted the first two here, I'll link to them, but I don't want to steal all of Irreantum's thunder, so I'm not going to post the last one (although I will post another of my recent poems for your consideration). If you're anxious to read "Fourth Month," you'll just have to purchase the latest double issue of the journal here.

Believe me, the price is worth paying.

On a side note--well, not really: in his brief AMV review of the short stories in this issue, William fawned over my poems. Okay, so I'm exaggerating a little...well, a lot. But he did say that he liked them. His exact words: "They’re approachable and real and funny." Such praise is a far cry from the reaction I got a few years ago from someone who shall remain anonymous: after reading a couple of my poems, s/he said, "Interesting."

Yeah, that's right.

Interesting.

And not even an explanation why. No feedback, no suggestions. Just interesting. Such a damning, deflating word, especially for a young poet. In fact, I still haven't gotten over it, although William's words have inflated my ego just a little bit.

I appreciate that, William.

As another (not really) side note: I'll be posting my review of the poetry in this issue (except for mine--you know, conflict of interest, and all) on AMV soon (unless one of my co-bloggers beats me to it). So check back at the beginning of the year and I'll direct you to it. (I know you're anxious, so I'll be sure to do it soon.)

For All You Star Wars Fans

I just came across these awesome videos on YouTube: "Star Wars: An a capella Tribute to John Williams" by Corey Vidal and a response to Corey's video by Moosebutter. They've actually both been nominated for a 2009 People's Choice Award in "User Generated Videos" (at least I think that's the category). You can vote here for the videos (do it once or once every 24 hours) until January 7.

Ah, Star Wars. Enough said.

Pocatello Part IV: One Semester Down...

...hopefully only four more to go (that is, if things go according to plan, which, if the past year or so is any indication, won't happen).

After suffering from a mild case of the impostor syndrome, I passed all three of my classes (two A's and an A-) and am enjoying the time off (turned in my last paper December 16 at 5:00, you know, in case you were wondering). I'm hopeful that I won't feel like such a fraud now that I've got a semester under my belt, and that my shorter commute will encourage me to stay on top of my work. (Although I seriously doubt I'll be able to brush off years of procrastination in one semester, I'm going to try.)

This semester, I think, has also helped me nail down my primary area of interest--literary theory and criticism--with secondary interests in Mormon literature and criticism and poetry and poetics. Since I'm not really passionate about any single literary era, the work of any single author, or the field of rhetoric and composition (at least not enough that I want to invest a degree or a career in them), I really want to focus on theory and criticism, especially on their history, the role of the critic, and the relevance of theory to the world outside of academia. I'm also extremely interested in the development and the potential of Mormon arts and letters and think that a focus on theory can help me as I participate in this cultural venue, both as an artist and as a critic (although, in my mind, the critic can be as much of an artist as those that work within what we consider the realm of the creative arts--but that's a subject for another post, another day).

And so, that's where I presently stand academically: trying to decide what makes my passion for reading and writing and lit theory and criticism, and thus my role as a critic, relevant and useful.

And, if you're lucky, I might just take you along for the ride!

Validation, Anyone?

I’ve fallen so far behind in my blogging interactions over the past few months, I don’t even know where to start catching up. I almost find myself not caring anymore, though—about catching up, I mean.

Almost, that is.

But if I get weighed down trying to read all the archived posts I’ve missed, I’ll just get further behind. And there’s some really interesting stuff that’s happened on the blogs I try to follow and I want to jump into the dialogue, but, again, I don’t even know where to start.

Oh, the double bind I find myself in!

And to make matters worse, as I was sorting through the backed up queue in my Google Reader this morning, I really felt like I’ve been left behind: hyperreality has moved on out without me.

Now I know what it must feel like to be a bride left at the altar.

None of this is even to mention that I don’t know where to begin (again) here. I’ve been seriously rethinking what I want to focus on with “Chasing,” especially since Theric over at “Thmazing’s Musings” labeled me “artsy fartsy academic,” since I’ve become co-blogger at “A Motley Vision” (where I get my Mormon Arts and Culture fix), and since so much of my time is/will be spent in major offline projects—like raising our daughters, spending time with my wife, working on a PhD, sleeping (or not), etc.

So where does that leave me? I’m not quite sure right now, but I’ve got time to figure it out, don’t I? I’m on Christmas break now, so I can do some catching up in the next few weeks. But then there’s that whole family thing and the reading and writing I’ve been itching to do for months now.

Maybe I’ve just go to accept the fact that I’m always going to be just a bit behind.

Better to be that, I suppose, than a big rear end.

Either way, can’t you tell I’m aching for some validation?

So, if you please, validate me (or at least humor me through this blogging slump).