Blueprint<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
This morning the ice came.
\nEverything fresh
\nand new\u2013\u2013but don\u2019t be fooled.<\/p>\n
Water is old.<\/p>\n
When it\u2019s just cold enough,
\nice will enclose everything\u2013\u2013pebbles,
\ntwigs, ripe fruit and all
\nwe\u2019ve built\u2013\u2013in a brilliant casing.<\/p>\n
This is the way water memorizes
\nwhat is temporary and
\nin danger. Water carries the blueprint
\nfor what has been made,<\/p>\n
what is missing.<\/p>\n
At this moment, in the profound depths
\nof the Pacific, water is remembering
\na perfect model of Hiroshima
\nin April of 1944.<\/p>\n
It is glowing with the pink
\nof plum blossoms.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
“Blueprint” is reprinted from Finding Water, Holding Stone<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n James Bertolino\u2019s<\/a> tenth volume of poetry, Finding Water, Holding Stone,<\/em> <\/a>was published in 2009 by Cherry Grove Collections. His 26 poetry collections include books from Carnegie Mellon University Press and the Quarterly Review of Literature Award Series at Princeton University. He\u2019s received awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, Ohio Arts Council, and Book-of-the-Month Club, as well as the Jeanne Lohmann Poetry Prize<\/a> for Washington State poets. His teaching includes Cornell University, University of Cincinnati, Western Washington University and Willamette University. He served as a judge for the 2009, 2010 and 2011 American Book Awards in poetry. He lives outside Bellingham.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Blueprint This morning the ice came. Everything fresh and new\u2013\u2013but don\u2019t be fooled. Water is old. When it\u2019s just cold enough, ice will enclose everything\u2013\u2013pebbles, twigs, ripe fruit and all we\u2019ve built\u2013\u2013in a brilliant casing. This is the way … Continue reading