For this week's Throwback Thursday, we're looking from the poetry archives of 2016.
by Heather Trahan
1. Bright piercing. The underbelly of the moon. The candle told me to do it; the candle compelled me to do it—the candle said you must do it girl do it quick She came to me through the screen and I accepted the will of all the souls. 2. When I met her her hair was blue when I met her I met her it was a dazed circle when I met her we spoke things like me too and yes but since it’s the story that everyone tells it might not be a story at all 3. water of mud up to our chins she sat to my right she kept saying it’s time to leave my darling it’s time to goand I knew that I wasn’t going to come with herthat I couldn’t she wouldn’t let methe water sat on my chestcrushed my breath the water came up to my nostrils I finally stood up the waternaked IcriedI looked around she woudn’t let me come with her !fuck! there was nothing I could do exceptkeep standing up in the water I looked at those around me, heads bobbing, I screamed I screamed I looked at her while I screamedher eyes had already a measure of goodbye and they were no longer blue I screamed again the water open my eyes I think what a dream remember that it was I that had the eyes no longer blue although I cannot tell if she was crushed by water 4. to kill a moonsnake you must pretend that it wanted to kill you first that it tried to kill youfirst that it slitherd its ears around your neck you couldn’t breath, so you must have lashed out to kill a moonsanke you must suggest to the moon the snake that it’s tired you must suggest that its not really your idea to kill a moonsnake you must say I only want what you want, snake, I only want to help the moonsnake will swirl around your toe for a minute, considering it will peer up at you with both of its good eyes will smile, it will retreat and you will wait for the moonsanke to come back, though. You will wake in the morning, sweat on your pillow, a chill in your toe, wishing the moonsnake had argued a bit more, wishing wishing 5. they will jar you awake to stillness. there are so many of them. they had so many hands—hands for grabbing, hands to suggest that laughter could be accomplished. there were so many of them: they came at all angles; at times it seemed they were in corners, under chairs, under bottoms even while bottoms were in chairs, in places weird like my soup dish. I’d bring the spoon to my lips…and they came at all angles and they came from all times. there were so fucking many of them!—they came from the fourth dimension, the space only Picasso only could see, or tried to see. there were so many of them… until she woke one morning unable to stretch her legs unable to bring her arm to her face to slip off the sleep mask she could not not think of how many there were
I like the format of this poem, there's a lot of powerful imagery from each of the sections that are in the poem. It examines each something different from lots of other perspectives. It feels similar to a fever dream, or an account of lots of different experiences that all have the same theme. It is incredibly emotional, everything that is placed into the poem is meticulous, it is meant to be there-- it brings a whole new layer of each of the sections, and emotions as well.
It is compelling to replay this from the archives of DiN because it shows the true depths of poetry, where it can go to, how there isn't any true limitations in format, in how it should be portrayed and consumed by the audience. This poem can be related to on many levels because it has many perspectives, and experiences that are in the poem itself.
All the sections can be intertwined, a story that is fragmented but also completely whole. All of the symbolism of the objects that were described and put into the story that Trahan told, the abstract format and the mention of Picasso, conjoined words and ideas that bring on a whole new meaning. All of it together is powerful and insightful, and it deserves to be realized and reformed from the DiN archives.
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Cielo Rodriguez is currently a News Editor at The Round Up. This is her third year studying at New Mexico State University and is majoring in Journalism and Mass Communications and Political Science. She was born and raised in Clovis, New Mexico and is an only child. This is her first time working on a literary journal publication with the Poetry Editorial Board.
She has been writing since she was about ten years old, and has never stopped since. Cielo enjoys writing creatively and enjoys covering tough news stories, and pursuing the truth in everything she reports on. Her passion for governmental work and activism was also found at a young age-- influenced by her mother and her Hispanic roots. Reading, writing, and playing video games are among some of her hobbies, along with continuing her spiritual practice by doing tarot readings and studying astrology. She has a passion for all music, but some of her favorite artists include Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers, and Harry Styles.
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