Tuesday Poem: “Castle Rock”
A week and 26 poets later, the Tuesday Poem Blog community’s birthday poem is complete. Definitely a “wow” moment—and please do take a moment to read it on the hub, here.
—
Castle Rock
Rotating in mid-air,
suspended between blue above,
bleached tussock below,
face to face with the ragged crag
of Castle Rock, sun flashes
off her watch, dazzling
as the first time they met
in the Roxborough fish and chip
shop, high above the Clutha River:
his presence, blazing in,
was like the sun rising,
spilling over energy, snaring her
with his eagerness for living –
dazzled then too, but now
her eyes clear, take in hill, sky,
rock, as someone shouts – she kicks
hard into the face, finds purchase
as the rope plays out.
.
(c) Helen Lowe
.
~ first published, The Christchurch Press, July 18, 2007;
~re-published, Crest to Crest: Impressions of Canterbury Prose & Poetry, Ed. Karen Zelas, Wily Publications, 2009
—
The reason for selecting Castle Rock for this week’s Tuesday poem, is that last week I saw this post, Our Changed Landscape: Castle Rock, Te Tihi o Kahukura, on the Christchurch City Libraries’ Blog. The post laments a loss of part of the face of Castle Rock during Christchurch’s 7.1 earthquake of 4 September 2010. Although I understand intellectually that change is part of life, emotionally I feel the loss of landmarks such as this—because both as Port Hills’ natural feature and a favourite haunt for rock climbers, Castle Rock has been an integral part of our cityscape since its founding. And a sense of place, I believe, is part of what gives us our sense of belonging and a basis for cultural identity.
—
For other poems by Tuesday Poets, check out the sidebar of the hub—or click on the Quill icon in my sidebar.
I like this poem a lot, Helen – it’s got a lot of energy, but it’s tightly controlled – a good sort of tension.
Thank you, Tim, for your “good words.” 🙂
I can be a bit of a picky poetry reader, but like Tim this poem grabbed me with it’s energy. It’s so fresh and clean – and reminded me of younger days when I went out boldering.
Thank you, Alicia.