Poems from in between

by Jenifer Cartland

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Jacksonville, Illinois

i.

Why do I think you are here
with me still, taking note?
I pull off the highway,

end on a dirt road as usual.
Strangers look long, out their way,
as if destiny is known. I wish

you were gone, really, truly gone,
that that would sink deep in,
become an organizing piece of truth,

allow everything here to be born anew,
begin afresh, no shadows hovering,
twisting forms out of shape, to and fro.

But it remains just a hypothesis.
I am on the road to you, right now,
as I always am, whether you are here
or not, whether you are true or not.

ii.

When I look out toward the horizon,
consider the outlines of trees

blackened by the distant mist,
oddly shaped, glorious against

the bright fog I cannot see past,
arrives the simple conviction

that here is my compass, radiating
all I can see, all I will never see.

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9 responses to “Jacksonville, Illinois”

  2. I don’t have the words to tell you what an emotional impact this poem had upon my life…even on first reading. Later readings will, I know, only make the impact deeper.

    Marvelous poetry!

    Ron

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  3. Just stunning how these two parts work together–form, words, thoughts…worth many re-reads. 🙂
    “the bright fog I cannot see past” and “my compass, radiating/all I can see, all I will never see.” Yes.

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    • Thanks, Jennifer. This one churned for some time before it found a way out. Thanks so much for your consistent pats on the back.

      April is coming. That will be a year of us writing back and forth!!

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      • I think so. Decided to focus on writing tanka. Hoping it will be less stressful if I narrow myself a little? And I really like those little five liners, so hopefully I can get a lite better at them. We will see how far I get. Not sure.

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