Fall Wildflowers at Chaco Canyon, by Alazanto, Kevin Davis, our son
Walking Doors
by Alazanto, Kevin Davis
An old woman sits at edge of the road.
She waits for doors to walk through her,
but is greeted by a kiss to her cheek
from lush breezes
finding their sanctuary
in a sun who wants to be close.
A jackrabbit takes comfort in scurrying across her feet,
ears trailing a thousand miles–
and dangerous expectations
lunging forward a thousand years.
Some might say
needles of energy
warn of their love
as they patter onto the tops of black umbrellas.
Ripening seashells,
pernicious treetops, and
attentive arrowheads
all follow in slipstream
of that affectionate sun:
nova in a moment’s clarity.
The movement of an eternity
might be introduced to stillness:
Pocket mirrors would turn to sand,
covering the earth
and reflecting a newfound radiance of boiling hope.
Empty clay basins would soon over-wash
with psychical retinas,
as whispers emerge from the roots of long grasses.
In such confusing brilliance…
…the breezes are left to ponder,
“What if the sun no longer wanted to be so close?”
The sun assures,
“My affections are captured by your songs.
We both find sanctuary in our binding differences.
We must never doubt the depths of inspiration.”
fourwindowspress 
this is so richly woven,… love it!
Beautifully highlights the interdependency of life. It’s a very welcoming poem, if that makes sense.
Fascinating!
One to read over a few times, as it enters the senses. A wealth of images here. I love the sun’s assurance!
Your poetry is always so rich with imagery – and in this, I could feel the lush warmth of the sun – and I love the assurance given in the last 3 lines. This is lovely, Thomas!
I really like the mix of time and myth. Having a woman (human) early in the poem places the reader firmly into the world. So many lovely time clue words. I also like it that the sun, a necessary entity, is never doubted to exist, only that it will care. That brings it right back around to a human level for me. Very nice.
So much greatness to comment on–I love “binding differences” the best; “ripening seashells” grabs me too;”needles of energy warn of their love” is also good; and “waits for doors to walk through her”–sounds almost photographic, like a scene in a movie (without dialogue, and maybe no theme music). Yep, I like this a lot!
PS–I really wanted to ask you about “Alazanto”, if it’s not impolite to do so. Could you tell me the meaning/translation of that name, please? It’s been a nagging fascination in the back of my mind…
Caddo, Alazanto really only had a meaning to Kevin. He made up the name when he was in high school and fell in love with the web and designing web pages. He thought at the time that he wanted a name, as I understood it, that no one else in the universe had, and he decided on Alazanto. I guess that’s what it means, a name no one else in the universe has. He could be obsessive about his passions, and his passion at the time was to win the Cool Site of the Day Award, which, he thought, would give him thousands of hits. At his age, of course, that seemed to be an impossible dream, and Ethel and I kept trying to get him to let himself down easy when it didn’t happen. He won the award, of course, and award after award after that. His web work and CSS design innovations and skills have been featured in books on that art in both the United States and Japan, and he had a worldwide following when he became ill while working for Vassar College on their web page. Thanks, Tom.
It’s hard getting a fix on this website. You and Ethel write such different poetry, and then the pictures, the poems, the artwork from your children…quite a varied diet to sup on. This picture is a good entrance into the beauties of your life in New Mexico. I’ve actually been to Chaco Canyon. It’s a beautiful, mysterious place. It is also hot, unforgiving, dry, with a muddy river plowing through it. I’ve never been so hot in all my life the day we walked out into the desert. (And I hate those muddy rivers!) What was once the largest multiple dwelling on earth, left to snakes and lizards. Still, this picture, waving into focus, captures the deep spirit that remains there…in the rattlesnakes, the rocks and in the wildflowers and in the, yes, walking doors. In the presence and the absence.
Jim, it’s not always so hot here. It’s cold right now, about 10 degrees Fahrenheit, and there is snow on the ground. We live in Continental Divide in the valley where red cliffs are on one side of us and the Zuni Mountains on the other. Ethel and I have been married 44 years on Christmas day, but we are still different poets, different people, and still in love. I am pretty sure the children and grandchildren are as different in talent, skills, and passions as you say, and all of that pours into a different kind of website. Thank you so much for visiting here. We are honored that you would come. Tom
Stunningly beautiful, quite simply. Deep, immediate, yet eternal.
Thank you so much for explaining the name, and telling me more about your son Kevin. I ache for you, and imagine your pain will never dull from a roar to a live-able hum. It must make the holidays excruciating. When I say the name Alazanto in my mind/mouth–to me, it sounds a clarion call. I wonder, do you hear it that way as well?
To be honest, Caddo, there is so much wrapped up in that name for us that it doesn’t have a single meaning. Maybe that’s what Kevin heard, though. He would have liked that idea for sure.
You infuse your poetry with the mystery and beauty of the universe. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
So much feeling here.
Chaco Canyon, never been there, studied it rather extensively in anthropology, became completely enamored with that place and its history…
Chaco is a harsh place in many ways, Lindsay, but one of the most beautiful places on earth. Its history is wrapped in mystery, although the ancient Chacoans left behind intellectual wonders that we are only beginning to understand. We live 60 miles or so from the canyon, although at a much higher altitude in a place with many more trees.
“nova in a moment’s clarity.” – Out of all of this (which I enjoy) this line is beyond brilliance.