Poem for 8 April 2005: Drones and Chants
April 8th, 2005From Hambone via Best American Poetry 2002:
Drones And Chants
Norman FinkelsteinIn memory of Armand Schwerner
All night long they turned the wheels,
picked up the sound and passed it onAll night long we listened to the music,
all night there was thunder among the hillsAll night and day the words were spoken,
each word inscribed, and traced to its originAll night and day the words were sung,
picked up, inscribed and passed alongSo as forever to be forgotten,
rising and breaking against the airThe sound floated above the valley
like mist gathering over deep poolsThe mist rose above the trees in the valley,
blooming into emblems of silenceEmblems of mist and emblems of trees,
cast forever into the pools of nightThe instruments were gathered up from the pools
and all night long they turned the wheels.
One way to observe National Poetry Month is to read a poem at an “open mic”.