Guardians


Down near the edge of the water you will find Mothers wide as gods,
guarding the gates to the ocean.
Down near the edge of the water you will find Mothers wide as gods,
listening to the lakes, their ears whorled shells, tilted toward the water,
guarding the gates to the ocean.
Down near the edge of the water you will find Mothers wide as gods,
water pouring through their fingers, making new Niagaras,
guarding the gates to the ocean.
They embrace waves high as churches and soothe the heaving waters,
They stroke the arched back of the sea and smooth her wrinkled surfaces,
guarding the gates to the ocean.
Down near the edge of the water you will find Mothers wide as gods
speaking underwater languages, down near the edge of the water,
guarding the gates to the ocean.


Questions and Answers

Is there a specific moment that inspired you to pursue poetry? How/where do you find inspiration today?

I was inspired to write this poem by my desire and commitment to redress the imbalance of opposites: white and black, dark and light, male and female. What is dark in general and what is female in particular have been sorely lacking in representation in Western culture as we lean heavily toward the light and toward what is white and male. I am especially intrigued by the idea that darkness is potent and necessary. For this poem in particular I am attempting to celebrate the notion of women of power as a real and necessary concern. So while my poems may seem fanciful I am basing them on what I see as an actual need and I offer them as an addition to what I hope is a changing status quo.

How did your writing process unfold around this poem? How did you write, edit, and refine it?

I think the most important things for me in making a poem are meaning and rhythm, so there is a lot of revision to try to make sure the rhythm carries the meaning, that is, I try to make the rhythm serve or accommodate the meaning. For this poem repetition helped to create a sense of conjuring as if the poem were a spell or a prayer. At the same time the repetition works to insist that the poem might be a statement of fact. Much of the revising involved figuring out how much repetition was enough and how much was too much and creating pictures of what it is that the “Mothers” do.


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