Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Rae Armantrout

PASSAGE

PASSAGE

PASSAGE

1

I held the framework
of my life in mind
with some precision.
I knew when I was
where—or where I was
when—but not many
incidents of my past had
actually been preserved.
Instead the frame served
as a cargo cult runway,
forever inviting
the future to appear.
I existed finally
as the idea
of temporal extension.

2

The creeper
lineates
the wall.

Flowers as punctuation?

Can you elaborate
on the passage?

Double meaning,

superposition:

hair standing on end

makes a creature appear
larger, more ferocious.
Close

PASSAGE

1

I held the framework
of my life in mind
with some precision.
I knew when I was
where—or where I was
when—but not many
incidents of my past had
actually been preserved.
Instead the frame served
as a cargo cult runway,
forever inviting
the future to appear.
I existed finally
as the idea
of temporal extension.

2

The creeper
lineates
the wall.

Flowers as punctuation?

Can you elaborate
on the passage?

Double meaning,

superposition:

hair standing on end

makes a creature appear
larger, more ferocious.

PASSAGE

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Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
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