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“Unmarked,” by Dave Malone

By T.S. Poetry 6 Comments

< Return to All Love Poems

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

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Unmarked love poem by Dave Malone shareable graphic

Dave Malone O

Photo by 白士 李, Creative Commons, via Flickr. “Unmarked” first ran as “No Calendars” at The Meadow. Music by Wayne Blinne.

< Return to All Love Poems

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Filed Under: Blog, Dave Malone, love poems, love poetry, Video Poems

Comments

  1. Bethany says

    February 13, 2016 at 12:21 am

    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.

    Reply
  2. Caroline Gerardo says

    February 13, 2016 at 3:03 pm

    Dave Malone is the greatest!

    Reply
    • Dave Malone says

      February 13, 2016 at 3:06 pm

      Aw, thanks, Caroline! So are you. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Dave Malone says

    February 13, 2016 at 3:04 pm

    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! 🙂

    Reply
    • Bethany says

      February 13, 2016 at 7:40 pm

      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. 🙂

      Reply
      • Dave Malone says

        February 15, 2016 at 10:14 am

        You’re welcome. Appreciate you asking. 🙂

        Reply

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