Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Monkeys and a Millipede

Monkeys and a millipede — these are the chattering and quiet characters in Dan’s suggestive poem, “Earthworks.”
(Chattering or quiet . . . reminiscent of another species?)  When creating the video, I chose also to contrast
our pristine planet, as seen from space, with the scrambling life upon it.  And, yes, if you sense a resemblance,
my painting of the millipede in the transparent sphere was inspired by the haunting globe image in Bosch’s
Garden of Earthly Delights.
                                                                                                                                                  -- Suzanne

"Earthworks"      



_________________________________________________________________________________
   



  Earthworks

Staring from the moon
in dream,
                I watched
small monkeys hopping
from close
         cavities: faster,
slower, dragging
         their thick brooms
         over dry
sands . . .
              but
in late evening
light,
        beyond their hunched
        & bickering                                                           
return
in one great
swarm, the planet
              now grown
         calm —
                     I saw
a single giant
millipede,
         shell vibrant
mustard/black,
              crawl out
from the moist
hollow
of its hidden
rock
              to sweep
        with silent feet
along the
moss

___________________________________________________________________________________________________



                          “Earthworks” was published in the Winter 2009 issue of the Notre Dame Review.