10.26.24

A poem is as material as the world. When writing a poem––where does the light come from? Above or below? Is the illumination enough to see or just enough to feel? Where does sound of the bell ringing come from? Where does the wind blow in? Can I feel the breeze on my face? A line only looks like a line. A word, only a word. But when we look deeply, can we see the lines underneath the line? We think we walk only forwards, never backwards in a poem. But when we read the poem, we are inside it. Like the wind, the poem enters you. You can feel it everywhere, but can't see it anywhere.