Surreal
At the turn of the century
it is a long way down
to the mind's I. A treehouse
chronicles my journey to this
lost continent, which requires
the amber spyglass to navigate.
When I arrive I am barely a
shadow of a man. There is
snow falling on cedars; through
the woods I hear the single hound
wailing for her hometown. After
twenty years at Hull House, she
mourns for that bastard out of
Carolina who left her tender
at the bone. I wander through
trees toward her cries and find
her. My journey ends across the
river, past the canal town. Before
crossing over, I ask her for
directions. "I don't know," she
replies. "I'm a stranger here myself."-Kathryn Harper
Another Cento poem. The titles:
- Turn of the Century (Kurt Andersen)
- A Long Way Down
- The Mind's I: Fantasies and Reflections on Self and Soul
- Treehouse Chronicles: One Man's Dream of a Life Aloft (S. Peter Lewis)
- The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America
- The Amber Spyglass
- Shadow of a Man
- Snow Falling on Cedars
- Through the Woods (H.E. Bates)
- The Single Hound (May Sarton)
- Bastard Out of Carolina
- Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table
- Canal Town
- Crossing Over (Ruben Martinez)
- I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away