Apr '12
25
Hello, day 25, time for another poem.
I love maps; love reading them, love admiring them. I have a strong spatial sense and I love orienting myself in a new city and country.
I believe that today's poem has potential, but it's in a very early state here. I might develop it after this frantic poem-a-day project has finished. It would definitely benefit from being stashed in the glove box for a while.
Cartography
(I)
There is something about a map:
the contours of a 3D world in 2D;
I hold a planet
folded
in my hand;
I store a country
crumpled
in my car;
I touch a glowing city on my screen.
(II)
Since first we carved world maps on clay in Babylon,
degrees of elevation, latitude and longitude
define borders
describe empires
portray nations;
man the mapmaker
charts oceans and terrain;
keen for a sense of place
we locate our own coordinates
in the topography.
(III)
Every day I navigate
Mercator projections
uncertain geographies of heart and mind.
I love maps; love reading them, love admiring them. I have a strong spatial sense and I love orienting myself in a new city and country.
I believe that today's poem has potential, but it's in a very early state here. I might develop it after this frantic poem-a-day project has finished. It would definitely benefit from being stashed in the glove box for a while.
Cartography
(I)
There is something about a map:
the contours of a 3D world in 2D;
I hold a planet
folded
in my hand;
I store a country
crumpled
in my car;
I touch a glowing city on my screen.
(II)
Since first we carved world maps on clay in Babylon,
degrees of elevation, latitude and longitude
define borders
describe empires
portray nations;
man the mapmaker
charts oceans and terrain;
keen for a sense of place
we locate our own coordinates
in the topography.
(III)
Every day I navigate
Mercator projections
uncertain geographies of heart and mind.
Agreed. Great potential for this one. One of the first vinyl L.P.s I had (actually, I think I might have just admired it in the shop and had another vinyl by the same band), was called "Mercator Projected" by East of Eden. Not sure why I'm telling you that, but your poem made me think of it. "we locate our own coordinates" - like it.
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