Reading “Any Common Desolation” by Ellen Bass
4 days ago
·4 days ago
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Poetry Lunch S6E2
Reading “Any Common Desolation” by Ellen Bass from Indigo, Copper Canyon Press.
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This poem reminds me to look up, and to pause. To take note of the world around me when my insides are tore up or even just grating. Reading it out loud I noted a lot the harsh strong stacato sounds of words like shot, rip, break.
I love the image of breath uncoiling in night air, the idea that precision can be a show of deep caring, that no matter the moment our mind is in — far ahead, far behind — we can notice the moment our bodies are in and appreciate the aliveness of our lives.
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Related print
This 6x9 inch letterpress broadside features an excerpt from Ellen Bass’ poem “Saturn’s Rings,” from Like A Beggar. Read the story of making it here.
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Links to purchase
Get the book: Indigo and the print: Choreography of Ruin.
