ed u cating for change
~ Inaugural Poem ~
Tomatoes and Sunflowers By Professor Polina Barskova
F inall y , in the bright air the tomatoes have Reached their peak: the tomatoes and sunflowers. Soon they’ll be caned by September-schoolteacher And explode in tart juices across the grass. But for now it’s as though the God of Things Held his breath, and the rocking, the flaring won’t Quit, and the beginning of dying drags On and on — “it’s too soon to bury me.”
That invisible cusp where summertime Touches autumn, sweeter than anything. When you know it’s started, the dimming down, And the world will go motionless, monotone. But for now it’s tensed, and commingling Elements — scarlet, orange, emerald, Copper — go quiet, gasp on the verge of a Dead faint at this final resting place. Brimming — branches, shadows, lineaments, Flavor and scent not quite stench, just exhaling. Grasses black, brown, blue, then down from the Sky, a gust — there’s a rush, shuddering. But as soon as the picture completes itself And perspective shrinks to zero, everything Collapses. You know what will stay with me? The spiderweb — its dire embroidery, The tomato — the crack that won’t close again, Half-minute foretaste of ashes, calamity — I was given it all, none of it promised me.
16
Summer 2012 Non Satis Scire