"this is not a poem (exactly)" by Tess Ezzy
"this is not a poem (exactly)"
Tess Ezzy
this is not a poem (exactly)
but a leaf-fall of words unclaimed—
(dear dirt) how softly you
listen
and when wind folds the gumtrees into
parentheses (yes)
what survives is
breath—
a syntax of birds unsinging
•
meanwhile:
Calla walks thru rain’s lowercase
and writes a cloud into her pocket
(a sentence of dew)
Orion maps stars in the dark of the page,
his footnotes wet with ash
•
don’t say hope,
say root
don’t say beauty,
say scar
climate speaks in fracture—
in murmur,
in shiver,
in wait
•
the fire is (still) coming
but
so is
poem
(and what’s the difference,
really?)
More from Tess Ezzy ↓
- @themoodyproject_ on Instagram
- Poetess Press on Substack
You can listen to me read Cross Roads by Tess @rembrandts.cure on Instagram.
Mentioned in this episode:
Write After with One Poem Only
Write After is a way to encourage poets to listen and write, and use National Poetry Month to highlight how listening to poetry makes us better poets. I know I write the best when I’m surrounded by beautiful poetry–it’s part of the reason I created this podcast, and I want to encourage others to share this practice. If you want to join: Listen to a poem from the month of April on One Poem Only, then write your own in response. I will pick one for each day to read in June for a special series: One Poem After 🍎🍏 Submissions close May 15.
