You may know that in addition to my poetry I also do art, posted on my blog Claudia McGill and Her Art World. For the next several months I will be posting here a combined art/poetry project, Large Artist Sketchbook 2020.

I fill up sketchbooks with all kinds of art. Some contain images only and some of them I use the images as inspiration for poetry. In these books the image is on one page of the spread and the poetry on the other. This book is set up in this manner.

I’ll show you the image and then add the poem that goes with it. See what you think.

Paying Attention

i.
I lean
against the telephone pole
at the bus stop.

ii.
I almost see
crows flying
in the overcast
above the parking lot.

I almost see
crows come down to ground
black dots
scattered on the asphalt
reflecting pink
neon from the shopping center lights.

I almost hear
crow voices carried over
but they are shouted out by
the bellow wheeze of the bus
grinding down to the curb
pulling away before I reach my seat.

iii.
The crows lift off
calling to each other
in the overcast
above the bus plodding down the road.

4/8/20
Large Artist Sketchbook 2020 image 18