Mesa Verde National Park Anna Montgomery
‘She’s sketching, she’s an artist.’
old men fondly remember
proper women
telling tales of the War
sons who don’t listen
bemoan generations without values in America
‘Was machst du?’
‘Excuse me, when will
the 10:30 Long House tour return?’
I’m not wearing a park ranger uniform
this happens all the time at Target
I have a customer service face in America
crowds of eager eyes and restless voices
little myth making for me here today
paucity of material
meets 100 degree heat
melting the initiators
global warming’s a gift from America
no room for thought
society’s lost its silence
can’t read Black Zodiac in peace
The Appalachian Book of the Dead
‘Go in fear of abstractions’
Charles Wright was born
in Pickwick Dam, Tennessee
here in America
returning to sketching
I try to make marks
meaningful in my privacy
so awkward with an audience
trespassing at the Ancestral Puebloan site
Utes got a corner, whites got a park
(archaeologists named them Anasazi,
Navajo word for ancient people
or ancient enemy)
method of loci, utterly American
retreat to the car
inner dialogue
(chattering monkeys)
we are having a very disparate
experience of this America
I worry I am a creature made
only for the hearth
open to the vast landscapes
of the mind and nature
so little at home
in this narrow, confounding ‘America’
the breeze soothes
nested in the tail gate
interrupted only by traffic, bird calls
my solace is won, art lives,
making the world real again
escaping America
the mark must be made
it must be fixed
time to draw the line
an infinitely nuanced touch
like the potent power of naming
this line must be drawn
with curves and crooks
from a fleshy hand
New Amsterdam descendent, all American
since 1640 before she had a name
I’m awaiting the alternative reality of America
Notes: Mesa Verde (‘green table’ in Spanish) National Park was the first park founded under the Americans Antiquities Act of 1906 is located in the SW corner of Colorado near the Four Corners area. This is where the state lines of Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado join. It is on a high stone cliff (7000-8000+ feet in elevation). Long House is on top of Weatherill Mesa and is one of the many sites where the Ancestral Puebloans or Ancient Pueblo Peoples lived between 600AD and 1300AD. The Utes, whose reservation is in the area of Mesa Verde, are not descendants of the Ancient Pueblo Peoples. Anasazi is a Navajo word meaning ‘ancient ones’ or ‘ancient enemies’ an odd choice for archeologists to make, the modern Pueblo Peoples, who claim them as ancestors, prefer the name Ancestral Puebloans.
‘Was machst du?’ is ‘What are you doing?’ in German.
Target is a US corporation: ‘Our mission is to make Target the preferred shopping destination for our guests by delivering outstanding value, continuous innovation and an exceptional guest experience by consistently fulfilling our Expect More. Pay Less.® brand promise. To support our mission, we are guided by our commitments to great value, the community, diversity and the environment.’
The Ute Indian Tribe consists of more than 13 historic groups that included the Capote, Cumumba, Moache, Moanumts, Pah Vant, Parianuche, San Pitch, Sheberetch, Taviwach, Timanogots, Tumpanawach, Uintah, Uncompahgre, White River, Weeminuche, and Yamperika. They were forced out of many areas of the West after the Ute War and now hold the Uintah & Ouray, Southern Ute, and Ute Mountain reservations. Today they are self-governed, ‘domestic dependent nations’, with many sovereign powers retained from the pre-contact period. There are currently 500 tribal governments recognized in America.
Charles Wright is an American poet who won the Pulitzer Prize for Black Zodiac in 1998. ‘Go in fear of abstractions’ is from his The Appalachian Book of the Dead. Pickwick Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Tennessee River in Hardin County.
New Amsterdam, from 1614-1644 part of the New Netherland Territory, was the settlement that became New York City. It grew up to provide security to the Dutch East India Company’s fur trade (a megacorporation). The land was purchased from the Lenape, Algonquin Native Americans, for 60 guilders. The Lenape tribe mostly ended up forced into the Oklahoma Territory, within the Cherokee Nation, in the 1860s. My ancestors, 11 generations back, Michael Paulus Van Der Voort (later Vanderford) and Marritie Joris Rapalje came to New Amsterdam in 1640. He was from Dermonde, Flanders, Netherlands. I’ve traced most of my ancestors back 10-11 generations to the first immigrants arriving in the 1600s from Scotland, Ireland, England, Wales, Germany, Netherlands, and France.
Chromapoetica 
so little at home
in this narrow, confounding ‘America’
ha you capture well an attitude that is prevelant…particularly in the political climate of the day…a well thought through poem though…i like that you come back to America at the end of each stanza as it keeps us centered. dont get me wrong i love my country, but it become more confounded every day…hope you were able to help that one seeking direction ot at least point them in the right direction…dont you love having a customer service face…smiles.
and we will certainly save you a seat at the pub…smiles.
Thanks so much, yes, I am fortunate to have a helpful nature to go along with that customer service face as it follows me wherever I go. It’s also a tell me your life story face so I always settle in for an empathetic listen. I love hearing stories.
Anna, Wow, what an amazing photo…really loving your work, and adore the education you are bringing me, both in terms of looking up new words, and your footnotes…
this poem is obviously centred on your country, but still i feel there are universals within it, we can all relate to: I loved ‘no room for thought, society’s lost its silence’ ‘little myth making’ ‘ the breeze soothes nested in the tail gate’ and the whole stanza starting ‘I worry I am a creature made….’
I think we are all waiting in some ways, or at somepoints, for the ‘alternative reality of X’….
(However, you are always welcome to come & visit this little isle for a rest, and a gentle soothing welcome would be found…you could sing to the deer if you are as nuts as I am that is!!!)
I’m so glad it has some universal appeal. I hoped the notes would help make it more accessible, wherever the home. Love your view on ‘alternative reality of X’, that’s so true. I’d enjoy singing to the deer, they deserve a lovely song. I’ll have to try that at home with our deer and elk :). I feel so overwhelmed for your generous reading/three comments today – I’m ever so grateful! I can’t wait to read what you’ve been up to.
Really think the alternate reality will ever come? Maybe if you create a Sliders type device and jump to an alternate reality yourself..haha….great piece!
Ooooooh, that would be neat, especially if it integrated with the string theory alternate universes. Though I’m sure to be confused quickly. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
A fine poem in description and language, a genius poem in ambience and allusion. America is such a compound creation, a tie dyed multi-lingual strip mall of the soul, and you paint it in all its confusion and annoyingly superficial detail, as well as dig up a few of its bones and go “Look! Look!” Loved every word of it, and I hope your sketch turned out to be as satisfying for you as your poem was for me. “art lives, / making the world real again.” (I controlled myself and read the entire thing before devouring the very fascinating footnotes, as well.Thanks for them. I also get asked where the rest room or the children’s shoes are in large stores. I like to think it’s because I project competence. ;_) )
‘America is such a compound creation, a tie dyed multi-lingual strip mall of the soul,’ poetry in response to poetry, I’m honored. I’m laughing heartily at the comment about projecting competence, it reminds me of the fact that I always get asked questions during movies to which I have to reply ‘I don’t know, I’ve only seen as much of it as you have.’ Thank you for your kind words!
retreat to the car inner dialogue(chattering monkeys) we are having a very disparate experience of this America …
Awesome prose! Love the narrative! And the picture…wow! My kind of read!
Thank you, Kellie, I’m fond of that picture too. In the background are the San Juan mountains, my favorite part of Colorado. I’m so glad you enjoyed it, I look forward to reading your offering.
Enjoyed it in its entirety, a couplet that I dangled at…
“this happens all the time at Target
I have a customer service face in America”
Really powerful narrative, I enjoy the inclusion of the ‘Anasazi’ I recently thought they belonged in poetry, was happy to see them arrive here in your words. ~ Rose
Thank you, Rose, Anasazi is a word worthy of poetry isn’t it. Thank you for your kind comment.
You did a great job , I loved every word.
Thank you, Ayala!
i will be back to read this one again….most enjoyable
Glad to hear it, and happy you stopped by David.
You did your research on this one.
“I worry I am a creature made
only for the hearth
open to the vast landscapes
of the mind and nature
so little at home
in this narrow, confounding ‘America’”
This could stand as a poem on its own.
It’s funny I almost cut that part out – too personal and I worried it didn’t serve a broader purpose. Thank you for your acknowledgment.
Like wolrsrosebud, I felt deeply touched by these lines:
I worry I am a creature made
only for the hearth
open to the vast landscapes
of the mind and nature
Perhaps you’ve hit on some universal theme, linking American women of all ilks…
Thanks Kim, I almost cut that part out as I felt it was too personal and may not translate well to readers. I’m touched it resonated with you.
Hey anna – of course your work is as interesting to read as ever – i have to get my hands on black zodiac for starters. you have taken an excerpt from your life (i assume) and mad it bigger and expansive – covering the big picture with shrewd smarts and well delivered observastion and allusion – sketching or painting outdoors while nosey parkers prowl what a bummer! –
for me your country is an amazing archetype – the place of sinatra – nypd blue – the doors – baywatch (lol) the a-team… it was genrally considered to be the promised land as seen thru the movies over here – a way cool big brother – after the last few years politically our media are pretty down on the US but they generalise and over simplify as ever… left leaning public opinion followed suit – but all told if the shit hits the fan we know who our cousins our make no mistake – dont stop believin!
Arron, I think you’d get a lot out of Black Zodiac. It is an excerpt from my life, the mundane details, waiting around on a picnic bench trying to make art and poetry out of heat and dust. As I said on your comments we cousins got your back! I do believe in the archetype or the ideals of America we just bungle the execution sometimes (especially the CIA but that’s another poem, oooh I wish someone hadn’t run off with my copy of Legacy of Ashes or that could be next week’s OLN offering).
This really made me smile. I’ve done that before, approached someone to ask a question only to be told “I don’t work here, I’m a customer, too.” LOL So, this struck a cord in me right away.
Some very deep thinking here and a lot went into its creation. Lovely.
Thank you Daydreamertoo, nice to see you again!
wouldn’t it be great if we could just create our own reality, our own society. sorry, but your piece started me dreaming…
Me too Ed.
I will come back to read the poem properly, but I wanted to tell you that i read your comment at Hedgewitch’s, and I had the very same thing happen to me after a wisdom tooth extraction! A piece of the tooth worked its way out quite painfully and slowly. At first I didn’t even understand what it was. As soon as it came out, the pain stopped. I thought I was the only one that something so weird could happen to. Not so, I see!
Fireblossom, I’m truly sorry to hear that! I hope that you are not prone, as I am, to bizarre happenings. I have a poem called Exit Wound that talks about my graduation, wedding, family dysfunction, research project, my father’s brown recluse bite and the three week first degree murder trial that conspired to send my life into super weird territory. If you get a chance sometime I’d love your feedback on it. It’s under Epic if you’re interested.
You seem to have been sketching from a distance. When I went, I climbed down the cliff ladder and walked over and reached the level of the village itself, set in the rock, and even saw the kivas where the ancient ceremonies would have een held. And wondered about a people whose lifestyle seemed so ideal in some ways, and yet seem to have cut down all the trees in their canyon to get wood for their fires. Their location seemed to have been intended to be a real effort at positional security, not very approachable by attackers. The place had an ancient, magicakal feel to me, nonetheless. Would love to see your sketch. And I feel your estrangement, too, from an ever stranger modern madding crowd, this weird new American “reality.” Thanks very a very interesting read — with notes!
Yes, those finger and toe holds gave me many a nightmare as a child. I’ve been to Mesa Verde some 20 times over 30+ years – this was at the end of a long roadtrip and I was waiting for my fellow travellers. Thanks Charles, glad you enjoyed the read.
Sometimes I think a country is much more an ‘idea’ as a place one calls home or belong to. Perhaps both.
With the world all global and connected, there is a sense of blending and sometimes threat to the idea of what and how one’s country is suppose to be and what it is suppose to accommodate. No room for thought — perhaps because there’s too many thoughts, constantly being assaulted by all kinds of opinions, this viewpoint or another at every turn and change. not sure what _is_ anymore.
The idea that changing the name might change the reality or directions (or ‘fate’) seems like an interesting one to me.
Might not have gotten all the references yet, but I enjoyed the read and the scenes. As always I would probably return to read again as your poems have quite some depth that takes multiple dives to reach, at least for me.
Thanks Raven, you bring up many interesting points here – I’m especially intrigued by the inundation of thoughts running so much interference that we can’t think clearly. There is also a new odd sense of identity that evolves as we become increasingly globally connected. I sincerely hope it doesn’t lead to a rash of nationalism, that was so detrimental in the last century (some argue it was responsible for the world wars). Thank you for your thought provoking comments. I hope to write poems that contain depth enough to return to and appreciate your willingness to dive in.
A “customer service face”? Probably a welcoming one. You need to learn to scowl while smiling inwardly!
No matter where we ended up, we all started in North Africa. The divisions folks make drive me insane. Well, the bipolar helps, LOL. Your hesitancy at creating with an audience, duly noted. I was composing a jazz tune the other day when the church custodian came in and sat down to be entertained. Quite unnerving.
Also imagining an alternative America. This was right on “target,” oh, sorry about that… Amy
http://sharplittlepencil.wordpress.com/2011/08/30/third-eye-of-the-sightless-woman-dverse/
Yes, I’ve never quite managed to project a leave me alone vibe :). I love your point about origins, I have this marvelous book by a geneticist/evolutionary biologist; Joseph L. Graves Jr. called The Race Myth: Why We Pretend Race Exists in America. In it he argues there’s no biological basis for race. There’s less genetic diversity in the entire global population than within a small group of Orangutans in Borneo. We are obsessed with division to our great detriment. He posits that releasing our outmoded and inaccurate ideas about race would allow us to move beyond prejudice. Nice ‘punny’ there at the end of the comment. I look forward to reading your offering, thank you!
very nicely depicted the mood which prevails almost everywhere.
Beautiful it is 🙂
Jyoti, good to know we’re not alone in our confusion :). Thank you for reading and commenting.
Anna awhat a thought-provoking look at the country you are part of… fascinating read. This part in particular let me in:
open to the vast landscapes
of the mind and nature
so little at home
in this narrow, confounding ‘America’
Please forgive any typos…my screen is blank (think there’s a poem there somehwre)… Great piece
Thanks Becky, sorry you experienced technical difficulties. Part of the inclusion of the notes was to help make it more accessible to non-Americans, glad that it worked from the outside.
I have my special places as well…and the same customer service face (loved that!) I refer to myself as the smiling fool…and, I have a fear being realized, as target sets its site on our province, the planned takeovers of distressed retailers already have dates set…well, you may be writing of your Colorado….but it hits surprisingly close to home! I should also tell you, I much enjoyed your view!
Tasha, I’m sorry to hear that, it seems to be everywhere these days. Margaret Atwood’s science fiction book Oryx and Crake looks at the return of true megacorporations. The Dutch East India Company with its quasi-governmental powers wreaked havoc in India and other places around the world. It’s amazing what hasn’t changed since 1602. Thanks for stopping by and hosting, you’re the best!
That spinning wheel of a mind – usually focused, experimentally, on the pure internal polysybattical whorl — looks out the window onto the dingdong day of location and dingdong existence and the state of poetry and the state of the state. It still wheels widely, taking in a lot., but one much more visible to all of us. A vista painfully familiar and alien, so much as life American life become. Your Target stanza made me remember all the stockrooms I worked in department stores in my 20s, ever unsuccessfully trying to put a bad on the road. A corporate bowel, indeed … Brendan (p.s., I love Charles Wright; for the past two decades he’s written the world, sitting on his back porch watching the sun go down. …)
I started working at 14 and by 16 worked (food service) 70-80 hour weeks at minimum wage to help support my father and younger brother. I had finished high school by then and had to work two full years to get to college. Probably part of my customer service problem and a contributor to the polysybattical whorl (as you aptly described it). Being trapped in a life of dingdong where after 13-14 hour days of cashiering I had dreams revolving around making change (dreaming he gave me $20 his bill was $8.42 he gets $11.58 in change, $10 bill, $1 bill, 2 quarters, one nickel, and 3 cents) it was go internal or be crushed to death by banality and boredom. Ironic I was almost crushed in the deep freezer by boxes of frozen cod that has left a legacy of back trouble. It’s funny you mention the wheel takes in a lot as I worried this poem didn’t tackle enough but I’m also the idiot who tries to carry in all the groceries at once. My neighbor once observed me carrying in a vacuum cleaner, steam cleaner, and TV at once (he came running over for that one). When my husband got home I drove him crazy complaining about the pain in my back. Glad we both love Charles Wright :).
Anna, I really, really enjoyed this…perhaps the best of yours I read. I savor the history of the Southwest, the Native Americans, our country as it once was. So many references to consider in this one. This is truly a work of art–as much as your sketch could be. Thank you.
Thank you Victoria for your kind compliment. I took a wonderful class in college based on the history of the Southwest, it was fascinating (it was relatively tightly focused on interactions between the Spanish and Puebloans – I spent part of my childhood on the mesa by the Taos Pueblo and my grandparents ashes are scattered on Taos Mountain)). That brings to mind an art book you may enjoy, Where There Is No Name for Art: The Art of Tewa Pueblo Children (Santa Clara, San Ildefonso, San Juan, Pojoaque, and Nambe Pueblos) by Bruce Hucko.
always enjoy the richness and historical references in your writing anna…and this time i also enjoyed to find some german words in your poem…smiles
and you made it very accesable for me as a non-american
Thanks Claudia and thanks to the German tourists that help boost Colorado’s economy by visiting our natural and cultural wonders. That came out sounding more like I work for the tourism board than I intended but Colorado is a magnificent place to visit. Thank you for the affirmation of accessibility!
I enjoyed the history and places of your country. Also reading your comments gave me insights to your background – thanks for sharing this part of your history with your readers.
I would like to say that this piece was really down to earth and aspirational as well.
Happy day to you ~
Thank you Heaven, I’m glad it was enjoyable and informative. I always appreciate your visits and comments.
I worry I am a creature made
only for the hearth
open to the vast landscapes
of the mind and nature
so little at home
in this narrow, confounding ‘America’
I often feel the same way, Anna.
Thank you, Sheila, as I said to others that part felt maybe too personal and that it wouldn’t translate. It’s wonderful to know I’m not the only one who feels that way.
This just brought to mind that as much as America has a heritage chock-full of such rich diversity–we do our best to deny it. Such a duality in thinking–I don’t get it.
Thanks for this lovely poem and history lesson today, Anna.
Thank you Bodhirose for reading and commenting, anytime.
I went to Mesa Verde once years ago (as I recall made some sketches too). Reading this I thought (amongst other things) of the signs at the head of trails, “no dogs” etc. and once a couple came clambering up the trail with a pet monkey (‘Hey, the sign said “no dogs”‘). During my travels (lots of camping) I read essays by Edward Abbey, who bemoaned the the dirt roads being cut into parks like Canyonlands and Arches.
A couple of lines stood out for me: “society’s lost its silence” and “this narrow, confounding ‘America’” – narrow. In a way that’s a more devastating criticism than hearing foreigners call our country a fascist state. Growing up I saw it happen: the great homogenization. And I only truly feel free in my own mind.
Wow your pet monkey trumps my weird trail tale. I was backpacking in Bandelier and a good seven hours from the closest road. At 6:00 AM an elderly couple passed us on the trail carrying only a pie slice Tupper ware container. We had to pack all our water in for the seven day trip. We never could figure where they’d come from (beamed down 🙂 from). The great homogenization is a terribly sad concept. Liberty does seem more attainable in the mind. Thank you for reading and commenting!
it is a confounding world
a confounding humanity at least
making art in a public space
is a strange thing
but perhaps no stranger than
making alone without context
sometimes i paint flowers
or write animals
as a kind of hearing of
our ecology
people are more difficult
‘sometimes i paint flowers
or write animals
as a kind of hearing of
our ecology
people are more difficult’
Love this, thank you so much for stopping by Janet.
Finding our history and our place in America is… well… not easy, not that I would know being a first generation… A very brilliant intricate work here, and I wonder if you have read Nathaniel’s Nutmeg. I think I will read The Appalachian Book of the Dead, there is a Tibetan one as well, and the fascination with books of the dead is of course a world-wide phenonmenon.
Thank you also for your explanations of the various subjects of your poem, I rarely see anyone do that and you obviously love your readers. 🙂
I have not read Nathaniel’s Nutmeg but I looked it up and put it on my wish list, thank you for the suggestion. The title of Charles Wright’s book is Black Zodiac and The Appalachian Book of the Dead is contained within. I say this because he reuses titles which can be confusing. Thank you for your kind compliment, I often provide notes (and have made fun of my propensity for notes in a poem that contains 35 footnotes 🙂 ). It is all out of love for my readers so I greatly appreciate your acknowledgment. I look forward to reading more of your work. Thank you for the return visit.
well, this is very good. probably some of the best stuff I’ve read in a long time. About to put me right out of the business. I was just about to write about the Anasazi sun dagger… good stuff.
No, you can’t go out of business then who would write the Anasazi sun dagger poem I so want to read :)! Your encouragement is always inspiring and I look forward to reading your latest post – it just showed up in my inbox. Thanks so much Jesse.
Some years ago, I spent time in the Four Corners area, based in Durango. I’d like to read your poem there, ansd I even know the place I’d like to read it, up in the mountains.
Oh, I love the area around Durango, my grandparents used to live along the Animas River. A couple years ago we took the D&S Narrow Gauge Railroad (in the 1878 Nomad car) from there to Silverton in the San Juan Mountains. While in Silverton we went up the 4-wheel drive trails deep into the mountains. That area between Ouray (which is on the north side of the Million Dollar Highway (550)) and Durango is one of my favorite places in the world. Thanks for stopping by and bringing back happy memories (my grandmother died 25 years ago and I still miss her).
I worry I am a creature made
only for the hearth
open to the vast landscapes
of the mind and nature
so little at home
in this narrow, confounding ‘America’
As with others, that stanza was profound for me, and reminded me of a new Walt Whitman in many ways.
I cannot praise this poem enough to let you know how it impressed me. You have a remarkable voice and unique manner of presenting your truths via your footnotes. It’s brilliant and I am in awe.
An uncle of mine traced the family genealogy (grandfather’s side) back to early immigrants to New Amsterdam from the Netherlands also. We were Van Swearingen then, which was clipped to Swearingen. A favorite book of mine (always dicey to recommend a read) may delight you: Forever by Pete Hamill.
Thank you Lydia for your kind words of encouragement and book recommendation. Forever looks intriguing and full of interesting history. I look forward to reading your work!