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Classic and Contemporary Poetry


CONTRA MORTEM: THE NOTHING I by HAYDEN CARRUTH

Poet Analysis

First Line: LOOK IN THE FLOWER DEEP IN THE TULIP CUP
Last Line: LOOK AT THE CIGARETTE SMOKE RISING LOOK LOOK
Subject(s): NOTHINGNESS; NIHILISM; VOIDS;

Look in the flower deep in the tulip cup
where the redness sinks in a still whirlwind of black
look in the stone look in the drop
of water or look back
or forward to the moon or the sun or look up
to the wells of the sky look down the hot strip
of the highway straightening forever
or in the glass gone black and silver
of the cars plunging past look in the socket
of the candlestick or in that
of the shotglass look in the empty gauntlet look
in the clamshell or in the straw hat
of the president look well in the book
whose perfect lines string out so black and flat
look at the cigarette smoke rising look look


Used with the permission of Copper Canyon Press, P.O. Box 271, Port Townsend, WA
98368-0271, www.cc.press.org



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