Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Removed

Removed

Erasing is not
not drawing,

just moving
around what

you think you
didn’t mean.

Might as well
hang a sign

in the smudges:
We’ve removed.

If you dig up
the garden,

you don’t get
fresh grass,

you get mud,
holes, worms.

The best way
to make sure

the little girl
finds the old

wardrobe is
to drape a sheet

over it and tell her
not to go in that

room with the
big old ghost

We can’t get
blank back,

just as good as
new but not

the same as
before you drew.

9 comments

  1. "Only the hand that erases can write the true thing." - Meister Eckhart

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  2. Fascinating that the art inspired this poem.

    "We can't get / blank back,/...." I like all that this implies.

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  3. This one reminds me of messing around with the Photoshop eraser tool.

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  4. Holy cow, those first two lines - I am floored, Hannah.

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  5. I love this. But I don't erase anymore. I have discovered that I usually erase the wrong lines. Instead I have heaps and heaps of pages.

    Yeah, that means one big mess. Oh well.

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  6. Or, you're only a virgin once? I like the idea of playing with presence, absence, and everything in between. Obvious as the idea of a "tipping point" is, it can still be fascinating.

    Is "but" the word you want in third line from end? I was hearing the poem leading up to something like: "new. It's not the same as before you drew." Otherwise, I'm with Maureen in liking best "We can't get blank back." Also, I like what the rhyme adds at the end.

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  7. Thank you for these comments, everyone.

    John-Banjo....I lingered over that "but" (funny as it may sound). I had other words there. I may end up doing what you suggested here....thanks for that note.

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  8. Hmmm...I too was think of getting blank back...sadly not possible...

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  9. funny to say it, but this poem was so poetic... so many levels to feel, read, think about.... beautiful hannah!!!!!!!!!!

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