I was searching the other day
for the remains of a dead language.
I was curious to find out how they became that way,
how they became extinct—
Aramaic, Targums, Siuslaw,
all in shackles or chained to a wall for entombment,
Minkin, Karnic, Warumungu,
drowned beneath the waters
of an ancient lake or ocean tide,
Coptic, Polabian, Munichi,
frozen in some forgotten crevasse—
I wanted to go up to them
and unleash their chains,
bring them to the sunny surface,
free them from their icy prisons;
I wanted to lay the bones
of their language down where
I could reconstruct them and see
what stories they had to tell.
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 11 of 11
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most of all in this, i particularly like the last stanza. the poem overall is a great concept, unique and wonderful to read/unfold line by lean.
i wondered if maybe the start of the 3rd stanza might have worked with 'go down to them' rather than go up, as you talk of them being in places lower. reading the second time it certainly was interpreted the way you meant - i think i only found that awkward the first time when my perception of the meaning was direction up rather than approach in "to go up".
regardless, i think this was simply wonderful. it's been some time since i've read your words and when i do -- i know how remiss i am to not come by more often.
kim
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Yes, I would love to know their stories too. This one struck a chord with me as Afrikaans, my first language, is the youngest language in the world but in a way also a threatened language.
~ Nicolette
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Yes Jaden ...
yes. Tongues of time become silent in timeless tales.
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i love this poem...
thanks for posting it
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you know I always enjoy your work!
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I really like this ... so many think that civilization has been a story of steady progress. if we could lay those bones out, we would see how much wisdom we have lost and are slowly re-learning.
thanks.
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Wow!
I really love this!
I love the last two lines especially.... very well done.
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