The Poem as Mask

[watashi.livejournal.com]

"The Poem as Mask"

When I wrote of the women in their dances and wildness, it was a mask,
on their mountain, god-hunting, singing, in orgy,
it was a mask; when I wrote of the god,
fragmented, exiled from himself, his life, the love gone down with song,
it was myself, split open, unable to speak, in exile from myself.

There is no mountain, there is no god, there is memory
of my torn life, myself split open in sleep, the rescued child
beside me among the doctors, and a word
of rescue from the great eyes.

No more masks! No more mythologies!

Now, for the first time, the god lifts his hand,
the fragments join in me with their own music.

-Muriel Rukeyser

Comments

[ofsatyagraha.livejournal.com]

how serendipitous!

i was just reading an adrienne rich book, and she mentioned Rukeyser (who i, unfortunately, had never heard of) and i underlined her name as someone to look up.

anyway, i like the poem very much ... do you have any others of hers you would recommend?

Re:

[watashi.livejournal.com]

That's actually how I discovered Muriel Rukeyser, too (through adrienne rich). I think the best book to start with would be A MURIEL RUKEYSER READER...it even has an introduction by Adrienne Rich. It's good to start with books of poetry that are "the best of..." just so you can get a taste for the poet in question and whether or not there was a particular period of writing you're especially drawn to.

Anyway, she's an amazing poet and I think anyone who likes Rich will like her as well. I'm glad you liked the poem.