ours poetica
Paige Lewis reads "You Can Take Off Your Sweater, I’ve Made Today Warm"
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Uploaded: | 2019-09-30 |
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Ours Poetica curator Paige Lewis shares their poem "You Can Take Off Your Sweater, I've Made Today Warm".
Paige Lewis: https://paigelewispoetry.com/
Space Struck: http://www.sarabandebooks.org/titles-20192039/space-struck-paige-lewis
Brought to you by Complexly, The Poetry Foundation, and poet Paige Lewis. Learn more: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/
11 issues of Poetry, subscribe today for $20: https://poetrymagazine.org/OursPoetica
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#poetry #ourspoetica
Paige Lewis: https://paigelewispoetry.com/
Space Struck: http://www.sarabandebooks.org/titles-20192039/space-struck-paige-lewis
Brought to you by Complexly, The Poetry Foundation, and poet Paige Lewis. Learn more: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/
11 issues of Poetry, subscribe today for $20: https://poetrymagazine.org/OursPoetica
Follow us elsewhere for the full Ours Poetica experience:
twitter.com/ourspoeticashow
instagram.com/ourspoeticashow
facebook.com/ourspoeticashow
#poetry #ourspoetica
Hi, my name is Paige Lewis and I'm going to read my poem "You Can Take Off Your Sweater, I've Made Today Warm", and when I was writing this poem I wanted to see what would happen to a speaker if they were disobeyed.
You Can Take Off Your Sweater, I've Made Today Warm
Sit on the park bench and chew this mint leaf.
Right now, way above your head, two men
floating in a rocket ship are ignoring their
delicate experiments, their buttons flashing
red. Watching you chew your mint, the men
forget about their gritty toothpaste, about
their fingers, numb from lack of gravity.
They see you and, for the first time since
liftoff, think home. When they were boys
they were gentle. And smart. One could
tie string around a fly without cinching it
in half. One wrote tales of sailors who
drowned after mistaking the backs of
whales for islands. Does it matter which
man is which? They just quit their mission
for you. They're on their way down. You'll
take both men -- a winter husband and
a summer husband. Does it matter which
is -- don't slump like that. Get up, we have
so much work to do before -- wait you're going
the wrong way small whelp of a woman! this is not
how we behave where are you going
this world is already willing
to give you anything do you want to know Latin
okay now everyone
here knows Latin want inflatable deer deer! i promise the winter/
summer children will barely hurt dear i'm hurt that you would ever think
i don't glisten to you i'm always glistening
tame your voice and turn around
the men are coming they've traded everything for you the gemmy starlight
the click click click
of the universe expanding
stop
aren't you known aren't you
known here
how can you be certain than anywhere else will provide
more pears than you could ever eat
remember the sweet rot of it all
come back you forgot your sweater
what if there's nothing there when you --
you don't have your
sweater
what if it's cold
You Can Take Off Your Sweater, I've Made Today Warm
Sit on the park bench and chew this mint leaf.
Right now, way above your head, two men
floating in a rocket ship are ignoring their
delicate experiments, their buttons flashing
red. Watching you chew your mint, the men
forget about their gritty toothpaste, about
their fingers, numb from lack of gravity.
They see you and, for the first time since
liftoff, think home. When they were boys
they were gentle. And smart. One could
tie string around a fly without cinching it
in half. One wrote tales of sailors who
drowned after mistaking the backs of
whales for islands. Does it matter which
man is which? They just quit their mission
for you. They're on their way down. You'll
take both men -- a winter husband and
a summer husband. Does it matter which
is -- don't slump like that. Get up, we have
so much work to do before -- wait you're going
the wrong way small whelp of a woman! this is not
how we behave where are you going
this world is already willing
to give you anything do you want to know Latin
okay now everyone
here knows Latin want inflatable deer deer! i promise the winter/
summer children will barely hurt dear i'm hurt that you would ever think
i don't glisten to you i'm always glistening
tame your voice and turn around
the men are coming they've traded everything for you the gemmy starlight
the click click click
of the universe expanding
stop
aren't you known aren't you
known here
how can you be certain than anywhere else will provide
more pears than you could ever eat
remember the sweet rot of it all
come back you forgot your sweater
what if there's nothing there when you --
you don't have your
sweater
what if it's cold