25 September 2009

Beldam

So this is going to be a bit of an experiment.

Over the course of a year from 2007-2008 I wrote one poem every day. Each was based on the OED word of the day. The project began as a stop-gap after a long period of non-writing. It was nice to have the topics taken out of my hands. Each day I received an e-mail with a word and a definition. I had 24 hours before I got the next. There was little wiggle room, if I got backed up I had to get in gear or be left behind.

The word became the title and I went about like this for the full year. Starting today this blog will host the results.

Let me know how it went.

Beldam (9.25)

How many breasts have come
into full rotted
been taken away on some metal
table the mammaries of my mothers
slug-like bleeding
a kombucha mushroom rubber and melting
if each had two at the start how many are left

The spaces between cells turns clear then black then light

How far back are we dying - here is a necklace of women
the thread a bread crumb for the cancers

Each amazonian breast
placed in a vat of honey
soaks until golden
is spooned like cow tongues
onto a waiting child's mouth

We are dying because we are passing everything - we empty
into each other

Is it a sort of root
the nipple a tuber like a switch
the tubes push dust in my family
mothers don't feed so much as spread
everything spread a
war of gourd a hollowing
from the center of the universe
out

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