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Saturday 7 May 2011

Blotting paper landscapes

Our blotting paper landscapes have absorbed
whatever's touched them
                         come their way
secretions of old men
                         the careless spills
experiments
                         that put the known at risk
                         
to paint the lily with a poisoned brush of heavy solvents
pigments of cadmium cobalt
                         dyes ground with turpentine
                         megilp
                         or something laced with mercury.

If I could take a sheet of blotting paper to the hills
and mop them up
                         and frame the end result
you might well call it innovative
and be right,
                         but then
                         whose would the innovation be?
                         Not mine, I think.

At some point we
                         might look again
at what the paper caught
                         blurred images
confused
                         ambiguous
no more a landscape than the patches on a wall
                         a stain
                         a growth of moss
but of a landscape, of
a might-have-been
                         a landscape from another world
a landscape yet-to-be.

And if the hill
                         the oak tree and the dandelion
the butterfly
still turn a smiling face to us
                         what does that say
of misgrowth deep inside
                         and ghosts to haunt our great grandchildren's lives?

12 comments:

Tabor said...

This is expressive of what we are doing. I liked the image of a blotting paper landscape...just that blur of what is left behind after we have ruined it. Just a memory for those that come after.

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful poem. Layout, words, perfect.

Mary said...

Dave, you have such a wonderful imagination. I think you must paint with brush as well as with words.(and be familiar with this blotting paper.) What comes to mind as I read your poem is: you can never preserve a landscape on canvas as beautiful as it was in reality.

Rose said...

Beautiful - creative logic applied very artistically!

anthonynorth said...

A powerful analysis of what we do, and beautifully expressed.

Gerry Snape said...

that is just powerful!! My thought was that if we left it all for a long, long time it would redeem itself...and I love that thought!

Jinksy said...

a landscape, of
a might-have-been
a landscape from another world
a landscape yet-to-be.


Exactly the feeling I get fro creating digital art! LOL

Windsmoke. said...

Very vivid imagery indeed :-).

Unknown said...

I like your style. Great imagery and easy to read.

flaubert said...

Completely gorgeous writing, Dave. You do see things through the eyes of an artist.

Pamela

Liz Rice-Sosne said...

I do believe that you have spoken for millions and maybe more.

Dave King said...

Tabor
yes, that's pretty much it, I'm afraid.

imnotaverse
Grateful thanks for those kind words.

Mary
Yes, your corect in your surmise. I was first a painter, started writing poetry at art school, then dropped it for a long while, took it up more and more as the hands got shakier and shakier. You are equally correct in your second surmise, I am sure. Much thanks for the comment.

Rose
Lovely comment. Thanks for it.

anthonynorth
Much appreciate the response. My thanks.

Gerry
An intriguing thought that might very well have Gaia's wisdom wrapped up in it. It's worth persuing, I think.

Jinksy
Indeed, I know that feeling well enough. Keep at it!

Windsmoke
Thanks for the comment.

Robert
Hi and welcome to my blog. Many thanks for the comment. Always appreciated.

Pamela
Thank you for your kind remrks.

Liz
Hi and good to have you visiting. Thank you so much for your very encouraging comment.