Liz’s Weekly Poetry Series: Mark Gibbons New Book!

December 17, 2012 in Montana

by lizard

Before last Friday’s reminder that we are a culture saturated in violence, I was having a cup of coffee with local poet Mark Gibbons.

After an unfortunate fire setback the release of his new book, I am happy to report Mark’s collection of poetry, titled Forgotten Dreams (FootHills Publishing, 2012), is now available, and not only do you get great poetry, there are also several Lee Nye portraits sprinkled throughout.

The poem I’ve picked for this week’s poetry series is titled CHRISTMAS, HELL, and despite what the author claims he can’t do at the beginning of the poem, there is a slow turn fueled by nostalgic recollections that proves, well, yes he can. Enjoy!

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CHRISTMAS, HELL

I can’t even find time
to write the irrelevant,
irreverent form letter,
for Christ’s sake,
let alone wax
poignantly about peace
& joy, chestnuts
or snow, those memories
in slo-mo of dark
mornings we danced
across freezing wood floors
to dig for socks & long johns
in dresser drawers,
bedroom windowpanes
glazed in ice—
we’d run to the living room,
shiver-up to the oil stove,
smell coffee, bacon
cooking in the kitchen,
listen to larch kindling crackle
& the trash burner roar,
Mother’s slippers scuffling
the linoleum floor—dishes
clattered as we buttoned
& tugged, pulled on our clothes,
hypnotized by the glow
of icicles & colored bulbs
silhouetting the fir tree
we’d cut down
up Madison Gulch,
the literal presence of wonder
in our black & white eyes—
an evergreen rainbow
topped with a blue star—
it was our chromatic
invitation to dream.

                 —for Connie