David Ignatow Child Poems
- 1. Coupling
Wherever he looks, standing still in the city,
are people born of coupling, walking in gray suits
and ties, in long dresses and coiffed hair,
speaking elegantly, of themselves and of each other,
... - 2. Earth Hard
Earth hard to my heels
bear me up like a child
standing on its mother's belly.
I am a surprised guest to the air
... - 3. Ritual One
As I enter the theatre the play is going on.
I hear the father say to the son on stage,
Youâ??ve taken the motor apart.
The son replies, The roof is leaking.
... - 4. Play Again
Late in 1962 New York newspapers reported the story of a nine-year-
old child being raped on a roof, and hurled twenty stories to the
ground.
... - 5. My Skeleton, My Rival
Interesting that I have to live with my skeleton.
It stands, prepared to emerge, and I carry it
with meâ??this other thing I will become at death,
and yet it keeps me erect and limber in my walk,
...
