"coalville, iowa"
explain the words
of locusts in southern air. pale
amber leaks in between branches
and clouds. black dogs eat bloody
meat, expressing little desire for a
new past time. weightless
patterned dresses covered in soot
race across the wheat field, attempting
feeble escape.
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This seems like an absolute synthesis of all the things you've been trying out with your poems. You establish a setting, and it seems to match the title flawlessly.
ReplyDeleteThere is a gothic mood to the poem, but innocence, represented as children, is running around the margins. There is blood and dresses and clouds: all the symbols of a josh zoerner poem.
But what sets this apart, for me, from the other works is the ineffable feeling that is invoked with these lines. The feeling of escape is expressed but not fulfilled. The characters are left attempting the same escape over and over, only to remain trapped.
I can look at this poem as the sorrow in a dress running from meat eating dogs. Or I can look at this poem as the hope in a dress running from meat eating dogs. That pivot point makes this a powerful read.
I am glad you enjoyed it. It's had mixed reviews thus far.
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