“Unmarked, ” from O: Love Poems from the Ozarks, by Dave Malone
Unmarked
No calendars mark
the first day of autumn—
not even ones posted on suburban
double-wide fridges. No calendars
mark the flutter of wings—
your bone-colored skirt
crying above Blue Spring. No calendars
mark the first day of your period—
the blood dripping into pyramids
on river rock. No calendars
mark the flutter of romance—
I shoulder a nest into your thighs
and craft our hair into a tent. No calendars
mark the flutter of union—
we sleep beneath the sexed redbuds
purpling like bruises.
—Dave Malone, from O: Love Poems from the Ozarks
Photo by 白士 李, Creative Commons, via Flickr. “Unmarked” first ran as “No Calendars” at The Meadow. Music by Wayne Blinne.
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How to Read a Poem uses images like the mouse, the hive, the switch (from the Billy Collins poem)—to guide readers into new ways of understanding poems. Anthology included.
“I require all our incoming poetry students—in the MFA I direct—to buy and read this book.”
—Jeanetta Calhoun Mish
Bethany says
It is always special to hear the poet read his or her own piece. I was intrigued too by the subtle differences between the reading and the printed poem above. Do you mind if I ask which one came first? Love the footage of the leaves.
Caroline Gerardo says
Dave Malone is the greatest!
Dave Malone says
Aw, thanks, Caroline! So are you. 🙂
Dave Malone says
Hi, Bethany, thank you. I like that you noted the subtle differences. The entire text of the poem came first. 🙂
When I make poetry films, they are often a very organic experience, and this one was unexpected. While reviewing some footage I had taken at a personal retreat, it occurred to me that the power and simplicity of the forest tree images made me think of the poem, “Unmarked.” And when I watched the footage (while looking at the words of the poem), I realized two things: one, I needed to reverse the film (so what you see is actually the pan I took from the sky downward) and two, the take was too short for me to read the entire poem, so I had to pick and choose lines by intuiting while I watched the footage. Whew. That was probably more than you bargained for. It was a lot of fun to do, and I concur–I felt lucky that day that the leaves and trees were so brilliant. Thanks so much for asking! 🙂
Bethany says
Thanks for taking the time to describe the experience! I love hearing about the artistic process. Hm: “…I had to pick and choose lines by intuiting while I watched the footage.” A whole other kind of art. 🙂
Dave Malone says
You’re welcome. Appreciate you asking. 🙂