Monday, January 31, 2011

Happy Monday




You Know
by Mary Jo Bang

You know, don't you, what we're doing here?
The evening laid out like a beach ball gone airless.

We're watching the spectators in the bleachers.
The one in the blue shirt says, "I knew,

even as a child, that my mind was adding color
to the moment."

The one in red says, "In the dream, there was a child
batting a ball back and forth. He was chanting

that awful rhyme about time that eventually ends
with the body making a metronome motion."

By way of demonstration, he moves mechanically
side to side while making a clicking noise.

His friends look away. They all know
how a metronome goes. You and I continue to watch

because we have nothing better to do.
We wait for the inevitable next: we know the crowd

will rise to its feet when prompted and count—
one-one-hundred, two-one-hundred,

three-one-hundred—as if history were a sound
that could pry apart an ever-widening abyss

with a sea on the bottom. And it will go on like this.
The crowd will quiet when the sea reaches us.

3 comments:

Jan Morrison said...

here ya go sweet heart! Other than calling me Mr. I'm happy with this response to the letter I sent instigated by you...
Jan

File # 2.2313.0245
Reg # 1539

31 January, 2011

Jan Morrison
mobudge@ns.sympatico.ca
Dear Mr. Morrison:
On behalf of the Minister, I acknowledge receipt of your e-mail dated January 19, 2011, regarding the Corner Brook Pulp & Paper Tire Derived Fuel (TDF) Co-Firing Trial Project.

This undertaking was withdrawn from the Environmental Assessment process on January 21, 2011.

If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact Mr. Milton Crewe at (709) 637-2375, toll free at 1-800-563-6181 or by e-mail at mcrewe@gov.nl.ca

Sincerely,



Milton Crewe
Environmental Scientist

Jan Morrison said...

Arggh! I shouldn't have put this here underneath this ever so wonderful poem! Thank you. And thank you for the picture too and you're right - it is a Happy Monday...
love, Jan

Robyn said...

No problem Jan! I received the same letter...it was gratifying to note the dates, eh?