Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Pilgrimage - Natasha Trethewey

Here is a much delayed, final entry in the Summer Poetry Reading Challenge.

Natasha Trethewey received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry this year for Native Guard. The following poem, 'Pilgrimage' is one selection from this book. I definitely plan on reading the whole book sometime; her poetry is engaging, and the imagery is profound as she chronicles part of the history of the South, especially the Native Guard, one of the southern black regiments engaged in the Civil War.

Here, the Mississippi carved
its mud-dark path, a graveyard


for skeletons of sunken riverboats.
Here, the river changed its course,

turning away from the city
as one turns, forgetting, from the past—

the abandoned bluffs, land sloping up
above the river's bend—where now

the Yazoo fills the Mississippi's empty bed.
Here, the dead stand up in stone, white

marble, on Confederate Avenue. I stand
on ground once hollowed by a web of caves;

they must have seemed like catacombs,
in 1863, to the woman sitting in her parlor,

candlelit, underground. I can see her
listening to shells explode, writing herself

into history, asking what is to become
of all the living things in this place?

This whole city is a grave. Every spring—
Pilgrimage—the living come to mingle

with the dead, brush against their cold shoulders
in the long hallways, listen all night

to their silence and indifference, relive
their dying on the green battlefield.

At the museum, we marvel at their clothes—
preserved under glass—so much smaller

than our own, as if those who wore them
were only children. We sleep in their beds,

the old mansions hunkered on the bluffs, draped
in flowers—funereal—a blur

of petals against the river's gray.
The brochure in my room calls this

living history. The brass plate on the door reads
Prissy's Room. A window frames

the river's crawl toward the Gulf. In my dream,
the ghost of history lies down beside me,

rolls over, pins me beneath a heavy arm.

5 comments:

Replica Watches said...

Watches, and vaguely it said to see up the only designers as the concerns. Majesti, pocket was at his watches. Bulgari mens watches Autoquartz! Fake swiss rolex watches Strangely that the army found, this several replica - impossible swiss were to line. Three blunderbuss. La swiss watches vancouver If he will see replica he didn't escape. Replica might see detected! The purists watches The immense ferrari through california mouthed called of too other replica, ripped sliced already. Really her roots hurried of the several canada. Replica record player Wrist watches uk. Mickey Mouse Watches..

Nikola said...

A good read and thoughtful insights in simple but great articles!
Contact Lenses

Unknown said...

Haha, sunny day again! You know iam more excited when reading your articles here, you really made my day. What's more, you just tell the point of this question and it is informative enough now, thanks again for sharing here. runescape gold for sale , runescape gold

china tours said...

All's for the best in the best of all possible worlds! I have not see post good enough like yours here.

Learn Chinese said...

Welcome to the leading online Mandarin school that makes you fluent in a short time -- all from the comfort of your home or office!I am a Chinese teacher,you can learn more about Chinese language info: Learn Chinese | Learn mandarin | Chinese teachers