A Mormon literary backcountry where words and place come together.

 

 

 

 

“May in Utah–an homage” by Laura Craner

by Patricia | 2.22.10

The poplar’s shadow on her hand
Indicates a tree in spring.
Willets, catbirds, and broncos all hear
Big-hipped nature dancing across the Rockies
Stripping and putting on the many faces of
A weather-beaten land:
Green, red, brown, and white,
The flag of summer on the horizon.

They are indivisible incompatibles,
This landscape and
The mutterings of a middle woman.
Her words lie naked in a field,
Lost in the grazing cows,
Being licked up and slobbered on
By their wide, warm tongues,

Always emphasizing individuality
And difference and commonality and similarity,
Exploring, teaching, imposing,

Crying, “Look at me!
Learn from me!
Listen!”

The weather-beaten woman
Tanned, freckled, and dry,

Green, red, brown, and white—
With wrinkles round her many-faced smile—
Observes her fleeting springtime
And is always living tenderly.

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Laura is a mommy and sometimes writer who dabbles in gardening and the expressive arts.  She says of this poem, “Back when I was in college I wrote a poem about spring in Utah as an homage to May Swenson. It’s a mash-up of titles of her work and bits of her prose and I thought it might be a good fit for Love of Nature month at WIZ.”  You can read more of her stuff at A Motley Vision or Depressed (But Not Unhappy) Mormon Mommy. She is very excited for spring.

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Filed under: Love and nature, Mormon nature literature, Nature literature, Nature poetry, Poetry, Submissions to WIZ

5 Responses to “May in Utah–an homage” by Laura Craner

  1. Th.
    February 22nd, 2010 at 1:21 pm

    .

    I’ve just started a May Swenson collection. I can’t believe how long it took me to learn about her!

  2. Adam K. K. Figueira
    February 22nd, 2010 at 3:59 pm

    “It’s a mash-up of titles of her work and bits of her prose…”

    Knowing this (combined with not knowing much about May Swenson) makes me look at this piece in an entirely different light. I feel both unqualified to interpret what you’ve written, Laura, and liberated to see it differently than you intended.

    I was worried that the way I was reading it was unnecessarily awkward, but when I know the object of the homage is an author as much as (or more than) a season, and the form that homage takes, my ignorance of its object no longer becomes a stumbling block to enjoying the work.

    In other words, I’m free to imagine May Swenson based on the authority of your poem rather than trying only to reconcile each description as a stranger’s perception of spring.

  3. Patricia
    February 23rd, 2010 at 8:00 am

    Observes her fleeting springtime
    And is always living tenderly.

    Love this ending, especially.

    Thanks, Laura, for sending this WIZ’s way.

  4. Laura
    February 25th, 2010 at 10:02 am

    Thanks for the comments, folks!
    Th– I’m glad you are taking the May Swenson journey. I’m interested to hear what you think.

    Adam–

    Thanks for taking the time to think about the poem. Poetry is always kind of cryptic, but I never wanted this poem to be that way. I’m glad it works for you as an homage. I hope it makes you want to check out some of her stuff :)

    Patricia–

    I’m assuming you’ve read “Living Tenderly”? It’s a sort of riddle poem that really evokes the spirit of Swenson–at least as I interpret her. It’s one of Swenson’s best (and most famous.!

  5. Patricia
    February 25th, 2010 at 12:14 pm

    Laura, I haven’t read “Living Tenderly,” but I’ll look for it. Thanks for the reference.

    If nobody else has a submission, I’ll wrap up this themed month. I’ll be on the road on Friday but could still schedule something to run Friday a.m.

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