Vox Populi
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Michael Daley: Desire
We must unhumanize our views a little, and become as confident
as the rock and ocean that we were made from. – Robinson Jeffers, “Carmel Point”
I saw the planets align tonight, then fog in sheets,
cloud in waves, whipped across Mt. Erie
and unburdened the night of its new worlds.
But I want what can’t get touched. All of it, every day:
wind digging at the ribs, its gesture against the flaking off of things;
in the slope of any bit of ground, the history of descent—the function of tar.
Fields of unimproved coils sprung in Nootka Rose and their aching echoes.
Staggering under pounds of beef, pricey butcher doors whisper humility
invoiced across blood-embroidered sleeves, iced phrases,
a stammering menace, lurching chaos.
We want, we want, and want—
clichés of course that can’t be bought—but, under that.
Some author decomposes in a sentence over human cravings,
eons thaw through its spectral tundra.
Thin hope glimmers like a single planet untouched,
a portion of atomic snow without disease.
Wind longs for a voice.
~
~~~~
Poem copyright 2025 Michael Daley
MICHAEL DALEY is the author of eight poetry collections, including Ground Work:Poems 2020 – 2025 (Ravenna Press). Pleasure Boat Studio published his novel, Telemachus, and the essay collection Way Out There. His work has appeared in American Poetry Review, Hudson Review, and Ploughshares. A Fulbright recipient and founding editor of Empty Bowl Press, he lives in Anacortes, Washington.
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I have read this poem now for the fourth time. And every time I read it it discloses more. I can only repeat what has been said already: powerful and another one to be read out loud. This “Thin hope [that] glimmers like a single planet untouched,” is what keeps us from giving up the fight.
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I have the same experience with the poem, Rose Mary. Each reading reveals a new layer.
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“Thin hope glimmers like a single planet untouched” ✨
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Wind longs for a voice.
Wind has a voice but, sadly, too ethereal for most of us humans to understand or even hear.
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Yes
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Thin hope glimmers . . . Thank you, Michael, for this powerful poem, the stunning photo, and the glimmer of hope that Vox Populi delivers in daily dose curated with such care. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
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Thanks, Roberta. Happy Thanksgiving!
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