In photography, liturgy, or martial arts,
or architecture. Or else for throwing shade,
to overshadow. The sum of its parts,
from ferrule to handle, times how it’s made:
pole, stretchers, ribs, and canopy. Courage
to learn, like a character in a novella,
when it rains or shines, to take, not umbrage,
but cover, under a sombre umbrella.
This poem appeared in Geist 118 in a set of poems along with "Sprinkler" which can be read here.
James Pollock is the author of Sailing to Babylon (Able Muse Press) and You Are Here: Essays on the Art of Poetry in Canada (Porcupine’s Quill). He has been a finalist for both the Griffin Poetry Prize and the Governor General’s Literary Award for poetry. He lives in Madison, WI, and at www.jamespollock.org.
