February 1: Gifts of Poetry, "In the Beginning," Vote

Been thinking a lot about poetry and where it's taken me in the last 15 or so years.

Poetry has given me many gifts, brought many best friends into my life.  The last two years, as Poet Laureate, it has given me many opportunities to do some good, make a small difference in the lives of people less fortunate than myself.

Poetry allows me to see the world in ways that astound me daily.

And for all that, Saint Marty is truly grateful.

In the Beginning

by:  Martin Achatz

Celeste rolls on the carpet
like dice that won't pause
on green felt, won't give
me the satisfaction
of 3 or 6, 1 or 5.
There is too much in her
knee-and-wall world to touch, too
many snakes with cardboard wings,
neon troikas plastered with words--
apple, cow, star.  When I speak to her,
she studies me, tries to unravel
my dictionary of sound.
Can I teach her to love language
the way lightning loves redwoods?
What will her first word be?
Will she shock me
with hamster, fridge, triangle?  Will
she point out the window, say
wind?  Will she sing the world,
the way Christ sang when He slid
from Mary's iron-taut uterus,
tasted her blood, saw Joseph radiant
with sweat?  Will Celeste's mouth open,
flood waters pour out, 40 days
and nights, preparing the world
for the rainbow of her tongue?

Please vote for me for 2019/2020 Poet Laureate of the Upper Peninsula at the link below:

Poet Laureate of the Upper Peninsula voting