“When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the area of man’s concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses.” — John F. Kennedy
Boris Schleinkofer, poetrywatch editor
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RIVERS
by Chuck Luckmann
You go where the river takes you
Like Huck Finn on a homemade raft
Spring-fed streams of youth
Creeks with snakes
Long portages in middle age
Bear skulls hung in trees
Wild goose cooked on campfire beneath the borealis
Souse holes real and imagined
Mostly run crooked, some straight
Mountains to sea
Again and again
Chuck Luckmann purchased his first canoe when he was eleven years old. He has been paddling rivers ever since. He finds flowing water an apt metaphor for life’s circular journey.
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MOTHER
Original:Assamese:Guna Moran
Mother
Bless me to turn into dust
Would stay stuck to both your feet every day
Mother
Bless me to be your teardrops
Would glitter in your eyes in times of joy and sorrow
Mother
Bless me to become air
Would turn lively in your inhalation-exhalation
Mother
Bless me to turn into a tree
Would protect you from sun and rain
Mother
Bless me to remain a baby throughout my life
Would always remain an adored sweetheart in your lap
Mother
Bless me to remain full of laughter always
You’d also smile seeing me laugh
Mother
Bless me to be a yellow metal
Would shine as a star on both your ears
Mother
Bless me to be your best attendant
Would attend to you every moment
Mother
Bless me to become a magician
Would bring you back to life even after death
Mother
Bless me for rebirth
Would take birth as your child
Again and again
Guna Moran is an Assamese poet and critic. His poems are published in various international magazines, journals, webzines and anthologies. He lives in Assam, India.
Translation : Bibekananda Choudhury
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Subject matter is unlimited, but poetry featuring or specific to WhatcomCounty and issues addressed by Whatcom Watch (government,the environment and media) will likely get first preference. Please keep it to around 25 lines; otherwise, we might have to edit your work to fit. Don’t make yourself unprintable.
Send poems and your short, two- or three-sentence bios as a word document attachment to poetry@whatcomwatch.org.
The deadline is the first day of the month.
Please understand that acceptance and final appearance of pieces aresubject to space constraints and editorial requirements. By submitting, authors give Whatcom Watch for one-time publication in the paper and electronic editions.
