The Lady Smiled ~ a plein air poem for the Statue of Liberty & all things liberating

The Lady Smiled

 

               for Ute Dugan on becoming an American citizen

 

When you took your oath to life,

liberty and the pursuit of happiness

today, the statue

of the colossally copper-clad lady

standing since 1886

at New York’s door

with her sunlit torch of gold,

smiled. And as she smiled,

ships of all shapes

and sizes and ages,

especially ferries and tugs,

blew whistles and horns

sky-high and bass-low.

And bells on bicycles

and church towers,

from the Battery to Gramercy

rang clearly, and joyfully.

All to salute you

and your declaration of independence,

your pledge to pursue the possibilities

and great freedoms

that come with being an American;

that belong to us as citizens;

who, us among them, welcome you

today with broad stripes and bright stars.

 

 

 

Colin Goedecke

New York City

April 2007 

 

 

 

Green Clouds ~ a plein air poem from the watery wilds of Alaska

Green Clouds

 

 

 

Green clouds

lie along the surface

of our coastal passage.

Clouds of conifers,

of Sitka spruce and cedar,

shore pine,

hemlock and alder;

that change shape by decades

instead of days;

by generations

of snow and light;

that share the shelter

of their deep-rooted solace

with the water,

the earth, the birds

and sometime-passing men.

 

 

 

Colin Goedecke

The Inside Passage, SE Alaska

July 2009

Sea Cycle - a poem from the Coast of Tuscany

Sea Cycle

 

 

 

A man rides his bicycle

on the sea;

salt rubs the tires,

sun reflects on the soles

of his shoes

as he pedals

over starfish

and speckled crabs,

under seagulls

and threaded clouds,

past fishermen

and upright bathers -

until the pier,

where he turns left

and follows the sun down

over the horizon.

 

 

 

 

from The Speed of Sight

Colin Goedecke

Forte dei Marmi

October 1997

Klimt in His Garden ~ a poem for Klimt & Krabbe

Klimt in His Garden

        

      for Jasper Krabbé  at his 2007 New York Opening,

      on a painting of the painter Gustav Klimt

 

 

 He moves in a moonlength robe

through an evening green garden

of quietude; with hidden feet

that touch the muted grass and moss;

his figure almost afloat

under the first blooms

faint and soon fragrant

on the branches over his silent head

and soft beard, without thought

of brushes or canvases,

only this moment

savoring the poetry

of a Spring night

in his garden.

 

 

 

© Colin Goedecke

In Chelsea, New York City

March, 2007

The Inside Passage ~ a poem from the wilds of Alaska

The Inside Passage

 

 

 The upholstery is vast

and varied.

Overstuffed divans

wildly embroidered

with orchids

and scented with cedar.

Chaise-longues

with legs of living wood.

High, wing-backed chairs

of granite and quartz,

doilied with distant snow.

Seedling-stuffed ottomans

fit for the feet of Gullivers.

Fans of delicate ferns.

Headboards of hemlock

carved with eagles.

All carpeted with barks

and cones, and plush

mosses made for the touch;

all dappled

with serene summer light.

 

 

 

© Colin Goedecke

Frederick Sound, SE Alaska

July 2009

Snowfall, a poem for winter

Snowfall

 

 

It powders down

onto the heads and shoulders

of men, houses, and horses,

whitens the teeth

of picket fences,

lathers the bristled faces

of Northern forests.

It boughs down

to the outstretched arms

of trees, tongues of children,

the folded wings of sleeping owls.

Confettis down

past millions

of living room, bedroom,

office, train windows,

seen and unseen.

Swirls down

in great silence,

eloquence;

with pure, hushing,

comforting presence.

 

 

©Colin Goedecke

January, 2014

by Central Park

New York City