Poetry Spotlight: Tangles of bull kelp by Judy Bankman
April is National Poetry Month, which “reminds the public that poets have an integral role to play in our culture and that poetry matters.”
by Cole Goodwin and Judy Bankman
Welcome to Local Poetry Spotlight, a weekly poetry column dedicated to showcasing the poetry of local writers. At CCCNews we believe in the power of art and creative writing to heal, connect with one another, and build community, and that’s what the Poetry Spotlight is all about.
Meet This Week’s Poet: Judy Bankman
Pictured: Judy Bankman
Judy Bankman is a freelance writer and poet who lives in Portland, OR with her dog, Rosie.
What inspires her to write poetry?
”I’m inspired by moments of sensation, both painful and beautiful, and by the places I inhabit and dream about,” said Judy.
Tangles of bull kelp, a poem by Judy Bankman
Tangles of bull kelp
lie in frothy piles & overhead, a v of black gulls.
My voice cracks as I call my dog’s name,
& she, a blur bounding past driftwood, dead crabs,
mussel shells. In December, the damp makes it feel
colder than it is. The sky, a milky hood pulled over
the ocean & jagged coastline. At 2:30, two more hours of daylight.
I feel my body from the inside and it hums. My chest,
its own expanse of sand & salt & water,
something to crawl into. Last night I felt the clatter
of rain on the roof & wind churning
through pine and fern and salal, through tree stumps
flecked with lichen.
If I listen, there is always a sound.
Stay tuned for more poems from local poets!
If you’d like to submit a poem to the Poetry Spotlight, please fill out this form.
