Canoe Divides Water

My head is split open by the sharpness of the images

Cutting through the hard crust like

A canoe divides water.

The sudden sharp pain traveling through my heart

Catches my breath as surely

As a butterfly

Caught in a net and drawn in deeper and deeper

Until the air feels so far away it can never

Reach my lungs.

Naida Lavon

06-22-10

After reading a passage from The Man Thing,

of the book “23rd Street,” photos were

passed around from which we were to choose

one or two and write, using the prompts:

“When you look at me I wonder what you see.”

and/or “Pay Attention!”

20 minute free write (way, WAY too long!)

I chose a photo of a statue whose head

was cracked but I found this exercise

very disturbing because many of the

photos were of dead bodies or of animals

being killed. Most of them were dreary

black and white photos completely

lacking vibrancy.

It killed my desired to write tonight.