The Walled Sentinel City
Standing forests sway
under walls
of fresh water—cold presses
the needled eyelids
of the watchers.
Peregrine Falcons
nest in crevices of the great falls
and in the steepest
skyscraper ledges alike.
Walled cities can be classified
as intact, demolished,
pristine, visible
from the colonial zone,
romantic, bombed, imagined.
One hundred air miles
from any external border
and seizure is permissible,
silence the only
grudgingly tolerated defense.
Certain locations
entail permanent warfare.
Some days up the great river
cliffside camas
drop bulbs
down the rock face
like sniped soldiers
in dun and purple uniforms.
Series upon series of falls
dynamited then dammed.
Ford quickly—our boggy familiars
observe through rapid panels of polarity.
Perching on the fishbone scaffolding,
water horses, drowned girls, ancient sturgeon
follow us for love or vengeance?
Which is to say, they may
well be the ones
watching the watchmen.
Certain respites
are named cemetery
in the language
of the fall line
which was not
obliterated but obscured.
Is it peace?
Teaching Materials
Directions and Purpose
Poetry is a beautiful expression of story, image, sound, and form. This exercise uses prompts to open the mind to symbolic* and associative* thinking. These are important perspectives in reading poetry. This resource is designed to offer an open-ended and unique way for readers to think about poetry and to encourage readers who might not feel sure about how to read a poem. There are no right or wrong answers to these prompts, and the reader can pick and choose at will, either responding to each prompt or selecting those that seem most interesting.
- Pick any poem you like and allow yourself to read the poem, listen to it, or visually explore the way it moves across the page. As you read, start to notice the way the poem enters your mind.
- Follow the prompts to think about color, image, shapes, and/or places that you find in the poem. These prompts will allow you to think about poetry in a new way.
*Symbolic
This kind of thinking and reading includes the ability to make connections beyond the immediate and explicit. For example, if a poem includes an image of a tree that stands symbolically for a way of thinking or a particular value, that would be symbolic thinking. In this exercise, the COLOR prompt asks the reader to think symbolically about the way color can symbolize emotion.
*Associative
This kind of thinking and reading includes the ability to connect ideas and allow the mind to branch out from one thing to another. For example, if a reader notices connections between the styles and forms of three different poems, that would be associative thinking. In this exercise, the SHAPES prompt asks the reader to think associatively about the way the words on the page connect to the story or form of the poem.
Prompts
COLOR: Are there any colors you notice in the poem? Make a note of them. What feeling or feelings do you take from the poem? Give it/them a color/s and define them.
IMAGE: What is an image that you notice from the poem? What visual stands out in your mind’s eye?
SHAPES: Think about the shapes you see in the poem. What do you notice about the way the writing looks on the page? Is there a story or perspective coming through from the poem? What do you think about the way the story is taking shape?
PLACES: Consider the places referenced in the poem. Where is this happening? What part of the poem is most interesting to you? Do you sense a particular place or time? What signs in the poem help show you where you are as a reader? What are the words or phrases in the poem that draw your attention or capture your curiosity?