Promontory by Joan Colby

Promontory

 

At the overlook, we could see four states
If the fog had not rested its elephantine
Rump upon the conifers. We can barely
See each other, much less the road
Switchbacking down the side of something
Extraordinary, that we’d hoped to
Experience, in full sun, even though
We rose in and out of sudden
Precipitation. The entrails of an owl
Would predict a dirty soup
Like purgatory where hopes are grey
Bandages flapping loose over the red wound.
A shaman burns the diary. This journey
Must be undertaken. The valleys spread tables
For the pure in spirit. Green taste of mint
And perseverance. In the hoods of scoffers
We stand and wait for grace
To lift us.


Joan Colby
Joan Colby is a widely published (Poetry, Gargoyle, Atlanta Review, etc.) poet with 20 books including Ribcage (Glass Lyre Press) winner of the 2015 Kithara Book Prize. Her newest book, forthcoming in Jan. 2018 is Her Heartsongs from Presa Press.


Featured image: Foggy Sunrise by Mike Slobogean. CC license.

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2 thoughts on “Promontory by Joan Colby”

  1. Joan Colby is such an outstanding poet. She captures and makes the subject stand still for a moment, just so we have time to observe it, think about it, absorb it.

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