Lighthouse - Softcover

Mara-Ann, M.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1891190113 ISBN 13: 9781891190117

Publisher: Atelos Pr, 2002

Synopsis

Poetry. Sentence by sentence, line by line, LIGHTHOUSE casts horizons. A possible allusion to Virginia Woolf's To The Lighthouse can be discerned in the sense of suspense, of preparation and promise that pervades the text, a sense of things underway. But that it is present excitement and expectation rather than some terminus out in the future that is art's (and life's?) ultimate achievement is clear from the outset. Of course, one can't think of a lighthouse without being aware of the slippage of its illumination and the concealment that surrounds what's revealed. A strange narrative -- a narrative of the strangeness of what is -- comes into view. LIGTHHOUSE is about the experience of being on the way, distance by distance. We move from part to whole and whole to part again, "the proximity unveiling a subtle inquiry."

About this title

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

lighthouse
By M. Mara-Ann
Edited by Lyn Hejinian & Travis Ortiz

atelos

Copyright © 2002 M. Mara-Ann.
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 1-891190-11-3

Contents

one water rites.....................................................15 trident.........................................................22 temporal declination............................................29 tributary.......................................................33 source..........................................................37 crescent........................................................39 chance sublimation..............................................47two ................................................................57three entrance........................................................81 provident ascension.............................................88 belief..........................................................97 ubiquitous intent..............................................103 respite........................................................108 aerial dissonance..............................................115 preeminent sight...............................................127

Excerpt

	water rites I. it's a matter of direction this being at the crossroads there was a smooth sobriety to the quiet darkness of the night a chill felt, but not the panic from before there's really nothing you can do about the rain especially when you love it so and wouldn't wish it gone but the regular rhythm of that drip resonating in my head pounding like a sledge through my eyes demanding the moment to stretch singularly long consuming me in this stillness between discomfort and denial in a coolness that is space in an aloneness that is seen focused and inescapable in the attic below the stars next to the fire just above the water. II. the energy had quite obviously dropped I lasted as long as I needed floating beneath the droplets in retrospect, I should have taken a blade of bamboo but then the taking did not exist the desire to go can be surprising where the want to remain is intended there's nothing in the nakedness to remind you
and th	e freedom doesn't feel as exhilarating as anticipated
	but instead a sense of return
like the time when you gav	e up paddling
	surrendering to float the buoyancy is natural with each inhalation the chest rises in exhalation returns. III. an imagined delight sitting on the porch in the rain alone at night aside from a cat most everyone had gone last time there were raccoons mothers with young babies trailing behind both wearing the thief's mask of the night
this time the fat c	at looked like a raccoon without the modesty of a mask
	she sat with me and we watched the rain
a man with long blond hair and a beard walked through the distance without	noticing
	the cold slid down my throat the rain rushed down the eave
upon the gravel, it sna	ked through paths of least resistance
	I was witness. IV.
the logical mind c	an explain it as a matter of timing and patterns
	but congestion is the metaphor the physical manifestation of the difficulty and the unavoidable process of the process of leaving inch by inch, there's no fast way the situation compounded by the presence of water
a looming deadline is insignifi	cant when the prohibiting forces are omnipresent
	the only way is to accept the limit to find the compromise it must have been luck sneaking so vulnerably through the night having broken free of the dense pressure flying fast carefully. V. quick thinking, instinct, and flexibility are the best tools in a pinch a gas station without a telephone? at least one can depend upon the largest of monoliths someone like me sounded surprised and concerned knowing exactly the number of minutes
of course, children in shee	p's clothing always think they know better
	though I almost missed the door just as I remembered passing through the threshold now winding through an almost memorable mystery fantastic scene unfolding before my eyes
the stilln	ess of the leaves and twigs strewn across the path
	as if a ripping wind had visited before a thick stillness remained the trees were haunted with history
darkness pressed warmly throug	h the background to cushion the landscape
	a chill could be seen holding turning and turning sometimes seeming upon one's self how long will it last? when will the first light be visible?
across the g	ate and finally encountering another, but opposite
	down and down the intermittent flash of the deadline's pass it will be very close round and down at last, the planked wooden fence the light. trident I. the first occasion was spontaneous a bit like a slow moving labyrinth amassed by tiny tributaries and an engorged landscape the shocks were often mild but even if they hadn't been the fact of never owning was significant finally arriving under the grandeur of it all where the tiny passageway looked unaccommodating
but just then another emerged and was direct
	slowing just inside to touch the core at once dramatic being contained while reaching out to the inside protected and simultaneously vulnerable amazing in conception the example had been introduced surely similar in repetition repositioning for a slow and calculated approach an effort of necessity in a moment shadowed by hope immense pressure for a sort of sameness an impulse to accelerate seems to originate out of insecurity remembering to block out exteriors if just to endure a while carefully stopping and venturing to touch what is seen. II. no amount of knowing could have anticipated the findings the older was larger and more prominent the main feature of interest but the small markings were recent only visible from the inside
their inferior	size having no bearing upon their immediate prominence
	as i reached out toward the cool wall the coarse texture told of a violent crime positioned squarely in a scene long past the dark remainder of endurance
the gaping absence making way for the least profane o	f wounds
	to stay could have invited an unknown flood whereas leaving would provide a point of reflection gazing among a shared curiosity the paradoxical fascination with an injured host. III. in a period where cause is of the essence a departure had already been taken convenience and separation made it all the more inviting the ease of modern invention insuring safety
there's something charming about the fragi	lity of an old screen door
	how many children had slammed it last summer nearly ripping it from its post never quite ever resting appropriately
the years	rounding down the points of character
	narrower than usual a translucent gateway of paned invitation a sweet greeting from a prickly looking man devoid of the likely obligation the indicators of time hinted at an underlying authenticity an ancient guardian centered centrally observing the observing. IV. two in likeness were located at the far end shrouded in suspicion was it their alikeness that evoked interest or the untenable quality of the scene? simply gathering the multiplicity i kept my pleasure hidden initially feeling the momentary gaze of wonder perhaps it was my sex having gained over time a sense of honesty
or maybe it was th	e appearance of a specific brown among a natural setting
	and the seriousness of the quest flung across my shoulders however, this familiarity was known
in particu	lar when enduring cycles have tamed the menace
	he smiled the compliment was precious in its obvious simplicity i accepted by introducing another. V. the immediate fascination was a winged creature one not identical in color, but in form
carrying	upon its surface the most jubilant and horrific of marks
remembrances that descended a rickety step and expanded among a hidde	n glen
	where warmth is flanked by a familiar threat reflecting a forgotten detail acknowledging a need for reclamation. VI. an illusionary departure if not for a second thought
another's token remembran	ce seemed appropriate in the absence of my own
	a symbol to remain between the dreaming poignant selections are rapid where decisions are clear a moment of searching followed by an unexpected gift trust not an overly risky venture but the authenticity of the disclosure validated the right thing filling one with a sense of alignment and a faith in universals confirmed a getaway executed with chance precision the main structure wholly fortified. temporal declination I. long and particularly wide the gateway seemed to stretch to the farthest end
a newness of cour	se merely accented by the low station of moisture
	the space and unfettered aesthetic were exhilarating floating along a border dividing unsuspecting allies intending to protect by authority dissimilar to the earlier persistence of restriction vacancy having opened a path for flight the distance possessing a real essence in forgetting. II. upon the collapsed stream revolutions disappeared the same gravelly vibration dispersing through the absence sacred are the material vessels once left fleeting
the object held fast in untouched recesses of re	collection
	yet, even the most recent seeming applicable in association time and place having a notable impact but the yearning invariably parallel an identical message with increased distinction differentiated in a sieve of experience and intent. III.
upon the moment of decision, the longer sequence of t	elling becomes an inevitable choice
	for that was the whole point of stepping out employing a lack of disguise to enhance the senses discovering the exact coordinates for a clearer identification what might have been a deviation, now a focus perhaps a blatant disregard for efficiency yet a sincere hunger for density light illuminating the evolving fantasy visions winding and twisting along a littered floor a wise gathering sentinels to the north from beneath, one could hardly reach the youth
progress had long since bec	ome mundane with the celebrated maturation
	to be present was the only real way of knowing
the silent	messages penetrating the eyes were never intended for the ears
	a legacy of folds releasing forgotten secrets where closeness protects the breath. IV. rarely encountering an impediment the likelihood generally told of a caution best revered
an elevated mome	nt at once opening onto a plain of arrival
	initially concealed by the lasting atmosphere of renewal a profound depth emerged from the horizon
final separation m	aking possible an interaction with proximity
	just enough to be seen but not encountered even in the remote there exists a locus of familiarity a long movement through the center of activity slowing enough to impede potential but enable presentation
a periodic contemplation found no acceptance among	the possibilities
	questions of economy and perseverance the possibility of delay vanquished by recalled purpose an abrupt detour only to observe the referential
the light waning	with a heavy press of an approaching closure
	a desperate attempt the fact of returning entirely possible. tributary I. a habitual practice of moving around the object looking toward possibilities the presence of improvement uncertain a race with dependability against an extensive record of timeliness hoping that effort might cause a chance difference a cause for delay and an upward ascent the illusive destination gaining distance
and an unexpected entranc	e into a restricted environment
	the decision of retracing urgently enacted reverting to a slippery backdrop associations relating to a sidewise motion. II.
within an array of correspondences did the du	ality indicate anything about the secret
	an unacceptable presence numbers conveying confidence a reticent knowledge of the course charging the task with an increased challenge
the receding quality of prom	inent features indicating an increased danger
	seeing across to the opposite a difference in relation puzzles of instinct and determination evidence of possibility glowing in small patches dissolution of chance reducing the presence of fear elevated coordination commanded by an intense focus
the distance having previou	sly provided the tool of its own defeat.

Excerpted from lighthouse by M. Mara-Ann. Copyright © 2002 by M. Mara-Ann. Excerpted by permission. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

 

Edition details

• Publisher: Atelos Pr
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1891190113
• ISBN 13: 9781891190117
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 132