Feature: T.M. Göttl Day 3

Time

Time, and the march
of army boots,
and metal chairs, and the
midnight howl of a panther train.

Time, and the sea lord
calling back the herds,
and the seventh breaking
of the hardwood stair.

Time, and a white coat,
cigarettes, and coffee.

Time, and the refrigerated
cellular automotive
facsimile liquid crystal
satellite malfunction.

Time, and the lack of confidence,
reflected in faded
cathedral glass.

Time, and aluminum eagle wings,
and the painted skydivers, and
the telescoping highways.

Time, and a minted peace
and a pinecone rustle,
and a chipmunk soul.

Time, because everyone’s written
a poem about heartbreak
and an empty hotel room

Time, and the concrete lions, and
telephone poles, and the copper, copper
saxophone strings.

Time, and the burning pages,
the empty bottles, the distorted
static music. Time, and the black keys,
white keys, gray keys, colored keys,
computer keys, car keys,
house keys, major keys,
minor keys.

Time, and the red ink, and the
black water.

Time through a glass,
around your neck,
under your feet, and
in your pocket.

Time, and a house without ceilings
a front lawn full of hands,
and a basement
full of feet
and folded prayers.

Time, and a red, paper kite,
hunting through the starshine.

© T.M. Göttl (previously published in a Saturday Night with the Poet's Haven PodCast and in Stretching the Window, (c) 2007)

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Q&A

Q: Following on that question (yesterday): where do you find your inspiration for your poetry?

A: The cop-out, canned answer that everyone gives is “everywhere”, but it’s true. I find that a lot of poems begin to take shape while I’m driving, or late at night in those moments before you fall asleep but can’t because a poem is keeping you awake. Or, while I’m driving late at night.

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your writing style. Where and how you like to write. Your favorite workspace, etc…

A: I carry notebooks and pens everywhere. If someone says something in conversation, if I see or hear something that brings an image to mind, if a word or phrase pops into my head and I think “I need to use that in a poem”, I jot it down. I have notebooks full of fragments. I used to have loose slips of paper everywhere—which still happens from time to time but not as often—which were a nightmare to keep track of. Eventually, I’ll go back into those notebooks with a particular idea in mind and pull out all the fragments that apply, and sit down at the computer to edit it all together in something more or less coherent. And then, of course, there are the rare pieces that flow out in almost perfectly completed form within fifteen minutes. Those are blessings from the muses.

Q: What are 3 things you really think you’d like to try in your lifetime you’ve not done yet?

A: This sounds like a college entrance essay question! Traveling to Alaska has been a lifelong dream. I’d like to climb a mountain (hiking that is—if pulleys and other equipment were required, I think I’d be scared). I’ve desperately wanted to go out west and see the national parks for years now.

Other than that, I’d really just like to be able to drive around the country, reading and writing. If I could make that work for a living, I think I’d be happy. There’s a special kind of joy for me in being able to go somewhere far away with a certain purpose in mind.

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