Watch you in the panopticon room, watch you being watched
Sit on the bench and straighten your spine and wait
Think about the first time you came to a museum.
Think about falling in love with concrete, benches and walls
Hard enough to etch with the entirety of humanity.
Watch you finding yourself awestruck.
We watch you; the paintings melt into screens
We become decades and centuries and kingdoms
And the humanity weeps from the walls.
You stand up,
Looking for a cookie to make you bigger
The key to let you escape
The boat to let you ride the flood--
But it's just a museum and everything remains
Concrete.
You'll have to swim through a beneficence of doorways
To the windows cladding the exterior.
Where the crowds who already knew what they were
Watch you grow gills in the stinging salt.
Not sure, really, where this came from or whether it has any meaning. I know that I'm thankful to have written it because lately, even the prompts that used to prod something loose aren't working. I'm in that stage of anxiety where you feel that you have to have all the bags packed and the attention forward, the residue of decades of seasonal hurricane awareness now constantly connected to a malfunctioning alarm bell in the back of my head. And so, this.
Sharing with The Sunday Muse and Poets and Storytellers United and hoping that others are having inspired and productive writing weeks. :)
-- chrissa
I love the depth this has Chrissa! From decades and centuries yet in the concrete world of now. Absolutely gorgeous and soul stirring. I hope that the anxiety you have been experiencing fades to peace and inspiration my friend. I know your kind spirit and amazing talent always inspire me! 🤩🦋💐
ReplyDeleteBeing examined by history. The museum shows a survey or all that came before and the windows to the exterior an examination of life outside. Somehow we are trapped inside, unable to find a way out, (no escape from one's own thoughts). I like the idea of growing gills and breathing through the salty tears.
ReplyDeletei think it is a really good poem. perhaps some people view museums this way, as old, depressing places. anyway, i think the picture looks a bit disturbing, though it is a really good and thought-provoking picture.
ReplyDeleteThis is absolutely splendid, Chrissa!💝 I love the angle you took with this picture and the way you portrayed the viewpoints of a museum. Especially resonate with; "We become decades and centuries and kingdoms and the humanity weeps from the walls."💝
ReplyDeleteOoh! Lots of great writing in this. "panopticon room" is great, and "Watch you grow gills in the stinging salt." is terrific.
ReplyDeleteAn amazing write, Chrissa, one of my favourites of yours. I especially resonate with the humanity weeping from the walls. And the swimming through a beneficence of doorways. So well imagined!
ReplyDeleteIt definitely resonated with me! Interesting that as I read the words, I sat up straight, at attention, involved in your message.
ReplyDeleteSwimming in this. Love the watching being watched.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if a room like this is like us all, watching and being watched... that is exactly what humanity is all about.
ReplyDeleteIt's always funny where stories come from when we look at prompts. I liked yours. It made me wonder of the first museum I ever went to, and isn't that one of the things stories are supposed to do? I think it was the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento when I was in grade school.
ReplyDeleteI like how you took Alice in Wonderland feels and weaved them into a poem about being trapped and knowing that freedom isn't something easy to come by, that it often stings in the birthing.
ReplyDelete"Humanity weeps from the walls" … what a great phrase! Suddenly, for pragmatic me, at the end the museum turned into an aquarium! A captivating write.
ReplyDeleteSome great lines in this, and deceptively deep. Enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteLovely visceral piece this - I especially liked: Watch you grow gills in the stinging salt." I'll be back for more, for sure...
ReplyDeleteI think living with the threat of hurricanes would make anyone a bit anxious. There is sort of a nervous feel too in the piece, because everything feels unsettled or unsettling. It's hard to feel secure when things you thought were concrete feel like they could shift on you at any moment.
ReplyDeleteGrowing gills as the situation dictates is a skill that more of us should cultivate. I've always thought so. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI too felt like humanity was weeping from the wall.
ReplyDeleteResonates with me too. It does seem to have a lot of meaning, even if we can't quite decipher it ... we can understand enough to get the mood and feelings, and be drawn into the descriptions.
ReplyDelete"Everything remains concrete"! No distortions, no expansions, no Wonderland. Scarey in that panopticon! Love how you captured this feeling.
ReplyDeleteConcrete - an unnatural, man-made solid barrier to keep minds in place. But it can be defeated with gentle water or force of a hammer. May you overcome that concrete. Cheers!
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