979. Teleology, by May Swenson

The eyes look front in humans.
Horse or dog could not shoot,

seeing two sides to everything.
Fish, who never shut their eyes,

can swim on their sides, and see
two worlds: blunt dark below;

above, the daggering light.
Round as a burr, the eye

its whole head, the housefly
sees in a whizzing circle.

Human double-barreled eyes,
in their narrow blind trained

forward, hope to shoot and hit
- if they can find it -

the backward-speeding hole
in the Cyclops face of the future.

Source: New and Selected Things Taking Place

1 comment:

  1. I like the poems of May Swenson very much. It is unique in content nad style. The poet's choice of words and subject makes the readers to read and understand her poems.
    I am V.R.N.Kokila, teacher, doing research in MaySwenson's poems.My area of research is to find symbols in her poems especially her typographical poems.
    I am very much in need of information regarding May Swenson and her poems.
    I hope you do understand my feelings and do the needful.
    Thanking you
    Yours truely
    V.R.N.Kokila

    ReplyDelete