Two Poems and a Commentary: Lima's Summer & Great Poems

Shapes and HEAT in Lima’s Summer

I can tell by the morning
After I get up, look out my windows
That heat will come, thus, I can bake
In the outside restaurant, in the afternoon—
Next, I hear the birds in the garden singing
I look at the shapes of them (everything)
In the park, doorways, the street
Like syllables in a poem; shapes, shapes
(I can almost count them))The shapes))
They have faces you know, and
Images, weight, color (dimensions)
Everything, every little thing, has shapes.
I let myself (for a moment) just a moment,
I let the shapes dominate me (by them)
And then, then the heat comes…
Souring is the sun (in Lima’s summer)
Then I rush down to El Parquecitos
A Restaurant in Miraflores…
(by: Taxi, Taxi, Taxi…more shapes)
—talk to:
Carmon, Ela, or Sarah … (usually);
Looking at more shapes: their
Sounds, colors, weights, dimensions.

#1657 2-1-2007


Comments on writing a poem: To write a poem, one must travel, study art, music, movements, the eyes, and body language of the individual, the colors and shapes of the landscape, you must see the fire flicker, hear the sound of it, smell the smoke, feel the heat of the fire, to the flesh (all from memory); thus, now we are ready to write a poem: flesh, fire and flickers, make for a great beginning.



Great Poems

“If you can’t write go to the Zoo,
And look at the panther,” said
The painter to the poet—and
He did just that, and wrote a
Book called: “New Poems,”
In 1908; and matter-of-fact,
History now calls them
“Great Poems” at that.

#1657 2/1-2/2007


In these two poems and comments, Dennis tries to deliver a message I think, he is trying to say: use all you have to put into the poem. If you travel, use it, if you play music, add it...yes, look at what is around you, this is life, write about it. And if you can't find it, to write it, go looking for it. Rosa



29) Poems with: imaging… and
imagery

Softly Bends the Leaves

Softly bends the long thin—knifelike leaves
Through the curtains and glass
I can see—, Its green…

The Sun reflecting off its seams;
If I move the piano, just a tinge
I’d see the whole thing.

#1659 (2-2-2007)) Lima, Peru




God Told Me

God told me once,
“Dennis, you’re after my heart…”
“Oh!” I said (perhaps playing dumb)
“Is this not true?” He replied.
(I hesitated, not sure why)) Said :))
“Yes, this is true,” (I was no fool).

#1658 2-1-2007



Highways

We build highways where people go
No one seems to get off them
And so, no one really knows….

#1660 2/1-2/2007

Triggers

The Deepest thing in us is Memories,
which can, and will
find their way out, once triggered.

#1661


Rosa’s Newspaper

She turns the pages of the newspaper
Like a slap on a child’s wrist
(so it looks and so it sounds):
Trying to find the crossword puzzle…!

#1662 (Dedicated to my wife, Rosa Peñaloza de Siluk)


Commentary: Poetry’s Function (just a few words): I believe the nature of poetry, its function—for the most part, have attached meanings; in the physical world, it can be confusing, it is in fact about language, as it claims to be. For often it has no voice, theme or even recognizable form. We call this free Verse, which is the dominate form of Postmodernism; prior to this, we had of course, Modernism, where we reexamined what poetry is. The density of language and intensity of imaging… and imagery; put another way, mental images; and: descriptions, metaphors, similes. Language is a two-way street, embraced but unregulated for the most part.