Borders – Here She Once was There
I am posting the poem below (a sonnet) for a dVerse Poets Pub poetics prompt to write about borders. I thought of posting a more more risque, i.e. erotic poem, as this would somehow represent crossing a sort of personal online- publishing border, But the fact is I kind of like the poem below, though it is not rique or erotic. The drawing above, by Diana Barco, is from Going on Somewhere.
East Indian Trains in the Catskills
(For Jeannie Hutchins)
As lilacs cast their fragrance on wet grass,
she thinks of trains and dust, the smell of hot spiced chai,
maroon banquettes, babbled cries en masse—
muffled by shutters echoed Hindi words for buy,
the soles of porters’ shoes so flat and white and pointed,
her own were thick, protection sewn by Clarks,
the baseline of what made her feel anointed—
when her hand waved at the window, it left sparks.
She sparkled just for coming from the West
(with cash, pale eyes, and shockingly blonde hair).
But now she feels a different specialness:
no matter where she is, she once was there,
so that even on this Catskill-scented lawn,
mind resonates with Indian trains at dawn.
Tags: Diana Barco, East Indian Trains in the Catskills, Karin Gustafson, manicddaily, poem about remembered travels
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ManicDDaily 
January 21, 2012 at 10:51 pm
nice…i hope to go overseas soon enough…to gain some of those scents and images to carry with me as i travel on…nice descriptors and capture…now about that other poem…ha….
January 21, 2012 at 10:53 pm
Yes, I have a lot, but I just felt a bit tired and didn’t have pictures!!!! Ha.
January 22, 2012 at 3:20 am
nice…i think a train ride in india must be a helluva great adventure…never been there but my husband was…and he still smells the land after many years…enjoyed your sonnet k.
January 22, 2012 at 8:21 am
Yes, this is actually based on Indian trains a very long time ago, the first time I traveled there. I think they are probably somewhat different now.
January 22, 2012 at 4:56 am
I feel the old itch reawakening… the wanderlust is back! Great write.
January 22, 2012 at 8:55 am
I feel like I am riding right in the train with you. Nice write.
January 22, 2012 at 9:06 am
A lovely sonnet… sparks on the window… way cool.
http://lkkolp.wordpress.com/2012/01/22/who-cares-about-whats-that/
January 22, 2012 at 11:08 am
You’ve captured many things here. Motion, colour, sound and scents. I really enjoyed reading this. Good job.
Love the image as well. Complements the poem very well, and vice versa.
January 22, 2012 at 12:59 pm
Great choice for this prompt, K. I envy you much your ease with sonnets. This one had several lines I loved, esp :”…the baseline of what made her feel anointed…” and the closing couplet–perfect and lovely language for the summing up. No matter where we are, we once were there, indeed.
January 22, 2012 at 2:25 pm
nice sonnet
i loved this line –
when her hand waved at the window, it left sparks.