A place for prayer.
A Poem
Published on September 14, 2006 By Hazel Target In Poetry
You are

an infinite imprecision--
a caulk-consolation for
my scabbed handful of needs.

And

the swelling bottle-reality
is not "and" but "or" I suppose.
(I accept booleans as they come.)

You are

a paper monument in my mind,
but I never blanch, knowing somewhere
the true granite rises impregnable.

Or

a shiny medal, hard and gold, cold
against the glass-- a symbol of past joy,
or a suggestion of future joy.

You are

the flagpole upon which I hang my spine--
when dignity loses tautness,
whom else have I on earth?

So

if, as I have been warned, relics
turn to dust, I pray the elusive
shelter of your reality.

Comments
on Sep 14, 2006
I can't say I can understand or explain it, but I love the language. Nicely done - any hints to help me appreciate it better?
on Sep 19, 2006
Some of this poem was shamelessly self-indulgent, and hence a touch esoteric. Here's a brief look at the more superficial meanings.

You are

an infinite imprecision--
a caulk-consolation for
my scabbed handful of needs.

This strophe intended to portray a relationship that is based, not on adding to life's pleasures, but on making life bearable so that what is already extant can be enjoyed.

And

the swelling bottle-reality
is not "and" but "or" I suppose.
(I accept booleans as they come.)

It's her or alcohol. Obviously there's a lot more going on than that, but that's the gist.

You are

a paper monument in my mind,
but I never blanch, knowing somewhere
the true granite rises impregnable.

All he knows is an ideal of her, not her true self; but he is confident that the reality is sufficient to support his ideal.

Or

a shiny medal, hard and gold, cold
against the glass-- a symbol of past joy,
or a suggestion of future joy.

She is both in his past and future, but for the moment completely inaccessible to him.

You are

the flagpole upon which I hang my spine--
when dignity loses tautness,
whom else have I on earth?

She is an external dignity to him, the one who makes pride superfluous.

So

if, as I have been warned, relics
turn to dust, I pray the elusive
shelter of your reality.

He hopes his trust in their future isn't ill-founded.

It's not much, but it should do to provide a framework for further analysis.

Dan
on Sep 19, 2006
Fantastic. Loved it.
on Oct 25, 2006
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