The Saharan White Desert, near Farafra, western Egypt: photo by Omar Kamel, 24 September 2006
Egypt, everything moves across paper stars in abstract night skies,
wadis, arroyos, wild old playas of moons, dust clouds, abrupt mesas
over which hang in a great arc an ivory crescent sky goddess
who spans with her body the whole inverted bowl of intensely
dark nocturnal desert inking; between miragewadis, arroyos, wild old playas of moons, dust clouds, abrupt mesas
over which hang in a great arc an ivory crescent sky goddess
who spans with her body the whole inverted bowl of intensely
growing less and less legible with thought; thought also
then growing more and more faint, with the wandering thinking.
Libyan desert (6). Mirage in Libyan desert between Aswan and Abu Simbel, Egypt: photo by Rémih, 11 June 2007
Libyan desert (9). Mirage in Libyan desert between Aswan and Abu Simbel, Egypt: photo by Rémih, 11 June 2007
Libyan desert (5). Libyan desert near Abu Simbel, Egypt: photo by Rémih, 11 June 2007
9 comments:
words have grown beautifully in the desert!!
And even better, now they have found a fellow nomad with whom to speak.
Tom,
". . . everything moves across paper . . ." including that mirage in the Libyan desert -- beautiful glimpses (poem/photos)
2.22
light coming into sky above black plane
of ridge, towhee standing on fence post
in foreground, wave sounding in channel
horizon one after the other,
object in relation to
itself, position of assumed
hand, can be found in
grey white fog against invisible ridge,
shadowed green pine on tip of sandspit
Tom,
Three weeks ago I went travelling to Jaisalmer and some portions of Thar Desert. On my way back, while crossing Jodhpur, I remembered yr beautiful poem In the blue city, suddenly.
And now this exquisite piece! Talking of nomads, count me in.
I haven’t been there but after reading your poem, I take vicarious pleasure in believing I have.
Everybody: You've expressed yourselves so beautifully.
Tom: Entering the desert writer (and painter) tradition is a brave and generous thing to do. Thank you.
Aditya's memory excites my own, which is great. There are a couple of things over the last couple of days I'd prefer to forget and replace with these words and thoughts.
Curtis
Your Caravan has definitely docked at the right Oasis, people.
Order up now, and be first in line to receive your own personal authenticated Tom Clark Patriotic Series Garden Nomad!
Now's the time to get that crotchety old sprinkler system in working order before the torrid heats of the equinox set in!!
Let no Garden Nomad go unwatered!!!
One Tom Clark, two, three, a dozen, a score, all with gnomic smiles, so to speak. A true mirage ...
The poem is wonderful. The finely tuned repetitions, the assonance, I'm positively dizzy from it, and the glorious
"the wandering thinking."
Oh, my, I'm still dizzy, perfectly captured.
And so I'll use that excuse for a little desert humor, since you left the tent flap open ...
PS Normally, my mirages are black and white.
Don,
That's my standard form of thinking these days (the wandering kind), it must be confessed.
Great link -- finest supporting performance by a dog since the brilliant canine stole the show in The Artist (another movie that looks back to the period of Beau Geste).
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