Gwendolyn MacEwen (1941–1987)
Finally Left in the Landscape
Finally left in the landscape is the dancer;
all maps have resigned, the landscape has
designed him. My lines can only
plagiarize his dance.
Moving, he is the cipher of movement,
a terrific code,
witness him.
Now I seek him, nor rely on chance,
I turn stones and find broken glass
like pseudo-suns in the broken sand
intense for their size
(are they from his fallen eyes?)
Life, your trillions people me,
I am a continent, a violated geography,
Yet still I journey to this naked country
to seek a form which dances in the sand.
This is my chosen landscape.
Hear my dark speech, diety.
Gwendolyn MacEwen (1941–1987) was a Canadian poet, novelist, and translator who published more than 20 books in her short life, engaging her interests in the Gnostics and ancient Egypt among other subjects. She also wrote numerous radio docudramas for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). This poem comes from The Last Hieroglyph (Longo, 1997).
Selected by Amy Frykholm: amy@journeywithjesus.net
