Some Ether

[black-dawning.livejournal.com]

I don’t know if you can read this now, you
without a body, without a hand on the wheel…

		For years physicists were searching outerspace
	for some ether electromagnetic waves

could travel through.

				It was Einstein who said,

	you can’t find it because it isn’t there…

			Your hair would be gray now.

			You led me upstairs to my great-grandmother’s bed
		her hair floating white above her skull
						as if it had already left her.

			I never knew her not to be blind.

She reached out to read my face
	your hands firm on my back.

		you can’t find it because it isn’t there

You without a body without a compass without oars
your hands are useless in this world,
				resting on my shoulders

trying to steer.

-Nick Flynn

Comments

[moireach.livejournal.com]

If you put the tags <pre> and </pre> around your post, it will retain formatting, including tabs.

This poem is just lovely, thanks for sharing.

[black-dawning.livejournal.com]

Done! Thanks a lot! That's a really helpful tool.

[moireach.livejournal.com]

Oh, COOL, that makes it look very different! Very reminiscent of Richard Siken.

And dude, is this the same Nick Flynn who wrote Another Bullshit Night in Suck City?? I had no IDEA he wrote poetry, too.

[black-dawning.livejournal.com]

It certainly is. He's an amazing writer. Check out his collection, "Some Ether." This, obviously, is the signature poem.