Beginning Amy Clampitt
by Gary Hardaway
Elaborations of the lines,
intricate and intimate,
leave me first bewildered
then becharmed by such
profusions
my simpler eyes, unprompted,
won't collect and catalog for recall.
The walks along the beach
render brave, meticulous,
taxonomies
at scales my much loved, broad,
and abstract net lets through.
I am forced, reading her,
to think of sand grains,
slivers
of colored glass, and tiny,
hidden, and almost unknown
forms of sea-life washed ashore
by scouring rarities of wave.
Wonderful ending. Rolling like a wave. *
It's good to read your enjoyment of this poet. I like the delicacy of the slivered glass here, very much.
Never read Amy Clampitt's stuff, but I want to now.*
Clampitt is a tall icon in my sky. Studied with her a bit. Wonderful person and poet.
Especially like your approach to stanza breaks - staggering the three words.
Favorite part -
"at scales my much loved, broad,
and abstract net lets through.
I am forced, reading her,
to think of sand grains"
*
Thank you, Jake. Thank you, Carol.
Thank you, Amanda. Thank you, Sam- am envious you knew her.