From Poetic Asides--
For today's prompt, I want you to write a poem about a landmark. It can be a famous landmark (like Mount Rushmore or the Sphinx) or a little more subdued (like the town water tower or an interesting sign).
Landmarks
You bring out the Statue
of Liberty in me, the Space
Needle and Kingdome—now exploded
and missing in me.
It’s 2 a.m. and a road trip,
the Welcome
To Las Vegas Sign still flashing
in me.
On the Golden Gate Bridge, you lean
and whisper, something—
I don’t hear, the inmates
are clanging their cups on the bars,
the Alcatraz in me. And the story
should end
with the Mardi Gras beads
and the flooded city in me,
but it doesn’t, French
Quarter Jazz and bourbon,
it ends on the Grand Canyon
trail ride in me. We were traveling
by donkey, by foot, by repelling
down the Alamo in me—wait,
it’s so much smaller. My I *heart*
NY t-shirt, the Bloomingdales bag
in me. The geyser that only erupted
twice a year, the Old
and the Faithful and we are standing
in a crowd of strangers clapping
for nature, for what will only be seen
once and in every 56 minutes
for me. You bring out the buffalo
huffing at the boy with the camera
in me. Wildlife isn’t a joking matter
sign, elk, elk, moose and geyser.
Candy and maze. Postcard, postcard.
All now postmarked in me.
*
I wrote this one in the car tonight waiting for the ferry. Still not happy with the ending or the last 3 stanzas, but it's 11:35, so it's done.
