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yonder
Submitted by Haggard & Halloo on August 20, 2010 – 8:15 am3 Comments
Yonder
by rae armantrout
1
Anything cancels
everything out.
If each point
is a singularity,
thrusting all else
aside for good,
‘good’ takes the form
of a throng
of empty chairs.
Or it’s ants
swarming a bone.
2
I’m afraid
I don’t love
my mother
who’s dead
though I once –
what does ‘once’ mean? –
did love her .
So who’ll meet me over yonder?
I don’t recognize the place names.
Or I do, but they come
from televised wars.
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Not bad at all, but I have to say that the line “what does ‘once’ mean? –” throws the poem a bit off for me.
sure, read on, its the particular vs. the genernalized universal – the second of which is nicely (and ironically) brought back to the forefront in the final two lines. I saw this poem not too long ago used as an example of why Armantrout was an overrated poet. But I couldn’t disagree more, and I like this poem quite a bit.
Should we continue reading after this line?:
\”Anything cancels
everything out.\”