firebird
FLAMINGO WATCHING
Wherever the flamingo goes,
she brings
a city’s worth
of furbelows.
She seems
unnatural by nature—
too vivid and peculiar
a structure to be pretty,
and flexible to the point
of oddity. Perched on
those legs,
anything she does
seems like an act. Descending
on her egg or
draping her head
along her back, she’s
too exact and sinuous
to convince an audience
she’s serious.
The natural elect,
they think,
would be less pink,
less able to relax
their necks,
less flamboyant
in general.
They privately expect
that it’s some
poorly jointed bland
grey animal
with mitts for hands
whom God protects.
Wherever the flamingo goes,she brings
a city’s worth
of furbelows.
She seems
unnatural by nature—too vivid and peculiar
a structure to be pretty,
and flexible to the point
of oddity. Perched on
those legs,
anything she does
seems like an act. Descending
on her egg or
draping her head
along her back, she’s
too exact and sinuous
to convince an audience
she’s serious.
The natural elect,
they think,
would be less pink,
less able to relax
their necks,
less flamboyant
in general.
They privately expect
that it’s some
poorly jointed bland
grey animal
with mitts for hands
whom God protects.
Kay Ryan
Kay Ryan, “Flamingo Watching” from Flamingo Watching (Copper Beech Press, 1994). Copyright © 1994 by Kay Ryan.
(over to you, m. ghost)
(over to you, m. ghost)
Labels: ballet, carl thiemann, carton moore-park, Gustave Adolphe Mossa, gwynedd hudson, kay ryan, l v carroll, norbertine von bresslern-roth, poetry, stravinsky, walter klemm
posted by lotusgreen at 6:43 AM
4 Comments:
Flamingos...sadly...I can't look at 'em & see more than wonderfully tacky yard ornaments (a sad stigma). The art by Mossa...one I'd never seen before (he did a wonderfully perverse painting of a siren)...so...not only had I not seen it before- it's an amazing image. I can always couint on your blog to wow me at least a couple of times a month. :)!
yeah, it completely blows me away too. i think i'm going to have to see if i can find a very big one.
i found this: "So why pink flamingoes? It all started in Florida in the 1920's. Hialeah Race track had imported live Caribbean flamingoes to add some tropical ambiance. In the 20's Florida and race tracks were playgrounds for the rich. Soon bronze, metal, and wooden flamingoes materialized as status symbols on the northern landscapes of the wealthy. The bird's appearance boldly stated to all passersby that the residents had been to a Florida resort. For thirty years flamingo lawn ornaments were the property of the rich.
"
lily, together we did a fine job on those flamingo's didn't we.
Gerrie
indeed we did, gerrie. did i overlap on any of yours? also i found two more in another folder that i had forgotten about!
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hi, and thanks so much for stopping by. i spend all too much time thinking my own thoughts about this stuff, so please tell me yours. i thrive on the exchange!
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