Workshop Spotlight: "Copernicus at Occupy"

photo:timesunion

Marea Gordett explains that her poem,"Copernicus at Occupy", "stems from the Dava Sobel presentation at the Writers Institute on her book, A More Perfect Heaven. I was very taken by her phrase 'a cascade of diminishments' which I realized is central to her analysis, and I enjoyed working it into my experience at Occupy Albany."


COPERNICUS AT OCCUPY

How stark and broad a profile on the screen
among the heavens of eclipse and moon
of the sole man in 1514 who

knew revolution grew inside the brain,
knew we are smaller than we think and struck
“a cascade of diminishments” to earth—

       I ran glissando through the leafy camp,
a part of brave— the park all galaxy
and dressed in tents, blue headlamps lit the way.
               
Drums glanced around and craved the dancing girls.
Mike check announced the careful tendering
of food and fuel and water
                                                and what else?

“What do you want?” blasted from cops all night.
A call for gathering the truth. Be real!
a masked man said    You know we own the streets.

Gone to the sidewalks all the righteous ones.
Gone to the war on greed. Another revolution of
the mind                              Love lights a fuse—

a need to put frail bodies on the line.


"Copernicus at Occupy" was first written as an assignment for Rebecca Wolff's fall 2011 advanced poetry workshop, asking for fifteen lines of iambic pentameter.  Of the workshop, Marea says, "I loved the invitation to bring in a section of a manuscript for critique...because it forced me to…organize and revise a logical section. I appreciated the discussions, the introduction to published poetry that was new to me, and the generosity of spirit of the class. I especially appreciated Rebecca’s laser-like critique which I completely trusted."

Marea Gordett has taught writing at Tufts University and Boston University, and has published a book of poems, Freeze Tag, with Wesleyan University Press. She is the founder of Big Mind Learning, an educational business in the Capital Region serving students of all ages in many subjects. She is currently enjoying teaching memoir writing classes to senior citizens throughout the region.

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Workshop Spotlight: "Can't sleep for all this sleeping..."

Anne Hohenstein participated in the fall 2010 advanced poetry workshop at the New York State Writers Institute, led by Rebecca Wolff.  Anne lives near the Hudson River, practices law in Albany and has published before, most recently in The Lyon Review. 

She writes that, "The workshop brought necessary internal and external focus" and offers here "a short poem, a piece well-corrected in the seminar."

 

            Nights Like This Kill Me 

 

            Can't sleep for all this sleeping

all this quiet, without evident damage

It isn't possible, or safe

Too many bridges, too many

never-to-returns

but never enough to keep me

from jumping

letting my softening body bang

against sandy same-day logs floating with me

poking stubs tangle my dangling arms, my leftover legs

snarl my hair, pointing

to all I've left behind

golden flesh of my children

as yet unaware their mother

went to save a wounded bird

   "Are you a birdy, am I a birdy?"

and saved herself in concrete water

   "Good bye to our never mommy, we will come soon

    leaving our never life"

Whose heart does not crack to contemplate this?   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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