Perfectly Voiceless
An ode to volatile organic compounds inspired by Sylvia Plath’s Mushrooms
We are
the smoke
on the knobs
of the Daniel Boone National Forest
Always
Stealing over
Weaving around
Wraithlike
Contradictory
Both born yesterday
And settling here long before
the first long hunters crossed the Cumberland Gap
Masquerading
as the smoke of man’s fire
We are in fact an optical illusion
performed by Mother Nature
Welcome sign for the diaspora
coming home to the coalfields
A comforting blanket
those rooted in the hollers can wrap around their shoulders
Perfectly voiceless we have inspired
artists to sing and sign our stories
and my sisters and I will shroud these hills and hollers
until the end of time.
5 thoughts on "Perfectly Voiceless"
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love this SO much! such a connection to place
my favorite stanza:
Contradictory
Both born yesterday
And settling here long before
the first long hunters crossed the Cumberland Gap
This is lovely. I like how the lines grow, just as the smoke grows to surround the reader.
Leah said what I was thinking…..what an incredible connection to place and such a wispy way to do it.
Talent.
You had me from “We are/the smoke/on the knobs/of the Daniel Boone National Forest” Love this!
You captured the spirit of Sylvia Plath perfectly