Poem by Donald Mace Williams, (originally published in THE AMHERST REVIEW)
Posted June 4th, 2008 by cwhite
Notable Manuscripts in Circulation: Donald Mace Williams' The Tree of Getting There
–By Christopher D. White, Editor-in-Chief, Rager Media
I appreciate the following poem, by Donald Mace Williams, of Canyon Texas, who has a worthy full-length collection of poems circulating among publishers called The Tree of Getting There. It's technically a sonnet, being fourteen lines; not all sonnets conform to a rhyme scheme, but being fourteen lines is the defining feature of this form. But this poem pays attention to sound ("piecing out the auspices"), and plays with meaning, which I appreciate in a poem. The the worldplay is clever, yet subtle: "Unlabored word that puts down cant." I appreciate the juxtapositions of tone and implied sitiuation.
This poem was originally published in The Amherst Review in 2004. Donald Mace Williams can be contacted by e-mail at donaldmacewms@gmail.com.
Lilacs and Salt
I can imagine her as a first-rate oracle,
Though calm-voiced, but she never could have stood
Cave living. Hers is a wisdom that craves air.
Consult her in the kitchen, where she can watch
A marsh hawk skim the pasture, can trim broccoli
While piecing out the auspices. Outside,
Lilacs grow. The odor weaves in her hair,
Her voice exhales it. Now if she will reach,
Mid-prophecy, for salt, and, talking, shake
That out, you'll have caught the flavors, the paired hows
Of her delphic what: the fragrance and the wry,
Unlabored word that puts down cant. You seek
An answer; she gives it over her shoulder. Now
Go pondering bloom and mineral on your way.
Poem copyright by Donald Mace Williams. All rights Reserved. Used by Permission.
