Tuesday Poem: “My Father, The Oceanographer” by Frankie McMillan
My father, the oceanographer
knew the language of whales
yet tripped over the sound
of his own name
They say the cure for death
is drowning and for a lisp
a bucket of salt water
*
In white gumboots he entered
the stomach of a whale
sat brooding under the great arched bones
of a church
invoking the mantra of LFA sonar
whale fall
and echolation
stripped to his underwear,
so great was the heat, and
blubber he said
now there was a word to make you weep
.
(c) Frankie McMillan
~ published in Turbine 2011
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About the Poem:
In the spirit of the “Poet’s Corner” series I ran through 2009-2010, sometimes I think the very best thing is to ask the poet to speak directly to his or her own work—and it seems a great way to start our new Tuesday Poem year, so I have asked Frankie to do ‘just that’ today:
“I’m never sure how a poem is ‘made’ but once I have a good opening line it gives me the courage to explore the possibilities. It’s a hit and miss method and out of the many poems I attempt only a few survive. I think this poem may have echoes of the biblical story, Jonah and the whale. The fact my father hardly talked to me as a child may also have informed the poem. Or then again, I’d seen the film, ‘The King’s Speech’ which might have worked its way in with whales. I imagine a lot of poets work in this subconscious fashion.” ~ Frankie McMillan
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Frankie, with her usual modesty, submitted the following bio:
“Frankie McMillan is a short story writer and poet. Recent poetry has appeared in Turbine, Snorkel, Jaam, Trout and Cincinnati Review (US.) Her first collection of poems, Dressing for the Cannibals (Sudden Valley Press) was published in 2009. In that same year she won the New Zealand Poetry Society International Competition.”
But I thought the following might also be of interest:
Frankie McMillan holds a MA in Creative Writing (with Distinction) from the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University. She held the Creative New Zealand Todd Bursary in 2005 and her debut short story collection The Bag Lady’s Picnic (Shoal Bay Press, 2001)—described as “dazzling” by the NZ Listener—received widespread critical acclaim. Frankie’s short stories have appeared in Best New Zealand Fiction 5 and 6 (Vintage: 2008; 2009) and Essential New Zealand Short Stories (Vintage 2009) and both her poetry and short fiction have been widely published and anthologised. She is currently a creative writing tutor at Hagley Writers’ Institute.”
Yes, I immediately thought of Jonah and the whale and Melville, of course. The silence of it is beautiful. I haven’t read Frankie’s poetry, so thank you for introducing her to me, Helen.
I think you would enjoy, ‘Dressing for the Cannibals’, Elizabeth–I did, very much.
Liked that one.
That Frankie – she’s clever!
She is indeed—very clever! 🙂