"What I Know" - By Mara Lemanis
What I Know
The earth loosed waves of carbon
to grow my thought
linked disks of iron
to grow my blood
these things engendered me
I know
thoughts trading gas
blood cycling mass
spun from ancient wastes
though what I know
knows me much more
stored deep inside
calderas spewing haze and humus
what my mind can’t devise
it dares to improvise
launch tall mythologies
stamped in scripture
–“In the beginning…”–
biblical oaths
dressed in legend
–“All’s well that ends well”—
pitched in proverbs
chains of letters words
thrown up against
the dark mesh of the sky
weaving a lodestar
to wink down at me
a time-worn hoary joke
poking the borders of my thought
it mimes me well
I pray it stays aloft
where I have coaxed
a sacred promise
to make my carbon myths
shine like a cosmic vow
to hang a testament of fire
that will not end
when all the earth
has turned to gas.
–Mara Lemanis
Mara Lemanis
Biography: Mara Lemanis is a literary scholar. Her essays have been selected for 20th CENTURY LITERARY CRITICISM
and are included in undergraduate student textbooks in the U.S.
She has worked as an archivist for Historical Preservation and with the IRC, assisting refugees in Oakland, California.
Disclaimer: The views, opinions and positions expressed within this guest article are those of the author Mara Lemanis alone and do not represent those of the Marbella Marbella website. The accuracy, completeness and validity of any statements made within this article are not guaranteed. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions or representations. The copyright of this content belongs to Mara Lemanis and any liability with regards to infringement of intellectual property rights remains with the author.
