Translucent Ant Skin in Spring
by Sawako Nakayasu
(posted 10/7/2007)
Everyone has been hard at work for hours now on the most recent catch, half an orange, I believe, when one single ant emerges out of the ground, at a bit of a distance from the others. All the rest of the ants have been pre-programmed to keep its attention focused on the orange, but I can see it quite well, the way the ant catches the light: the skin of this ant, shiny and youthful, giving the freshly sprouted green leaves on that nearby tree a run for their proverbial money. Now of course I know that there is no such thing as skin on an ant, but trust me, it is truly that glowing, and truly that beautiful, it’s not airbrushed it’s not photo-shopped it’s so clear I can almost see right through it, and being the only who can see it, for that matter, I turn and sigh at the delicate flowers who are slowly turning their backs to me.
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1 comment:
I love this project! It's one of the full-length books I'm eagerly waiting for (the chapbook is super)! Note the turn in this piece as a whole from shared experience to a narrowing individual apercu, itself turned away from--shut out as the poem is shut off. And the time Nakayasu can take w/ a description (both detailed & brief) reminds me of some of the post-modern painters: there's expressionistic brushwork, and cartoon-like detailing on the same canvas. And the sudden shifts in scale remind me of Dickinson! Superb work! (LKM)
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