The Galaxy Turning all around Us
Nature poetry reading #9 for National Poetry Month
“I hold her very close to my face.”
April 24th:
Untitled summer poem by Ross Gay from Lace & Pyrite
I love Ross Gay’s tenderness and bravery with the dying bee in this poem. I love that the two of them become momentary companions, face to face in an equalizing moment beneath the spinning heavens, the turning swarms of bees.1
I don’t love that I left my headphones home today. I’m stuck listening to Golden Oldies, and so are you, if you listen closely to my reading. I’m not sure the Temptations or the Supremes are the most obvious setting for Ross Gay’s lyrical verse . . . but maybe I’m wrong about that. The man is obsessed with music; any foray into The Book of Delights or—even more—Inciting Joy, will confirm.
Also, unrelated, I once wrote ad copy for an Oldies radio station (which converted to Classic Rock during my time there). Not much poetry in the air as I walked the shabby halls to Help Me Rhonda and Stop in the Name of Love. Which, on further thought, is what Gay is doing with the bee, no? Noticing her. Letting her tiny feet feel for his finger. Watching her shredded-winged crawl up his hand until they are gazing eye-to-eye. A heart-stopping moment as the world swirls about them. Poetry in unexpected places.
Finally, if you’d like to catch another view of my Wednesday morning writing environment, let me introduce you to today’s companions:
For a bee-themed essay of Gay’s that moves into racial justice territory, read here: “Some Thoughts on Mercy”
I loved this post! Thank you. I love the way Ross Gay talks about the world around him, with such simplicity and yet with such richness. And I love the way you read the poem.