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From section 5, The Justice, of Saltian
The law of attraction
By Alice Shapiro
A man is like a cat, chase him and
he will run–sit still and ignore him
and he’ll come purring at your feet.
–Helen Rowland, English-American writer (1896-1950)
This is the Abstract:
Within reach
the prize hovers
yet still she hides a former lack
as someone else’s fare.
Almost there,
she wonders where the change began
between the stress of “get it,” “get it”
and the seamless streaming flow.
She was knighted without her knowledge
without attention or control.
It is hard to let go
easy to slip, like a drunkard denying drink
back to active force through effort.
She knows that batter must be stirred
by human hands
but only fire bakes sweet cakes.
This is the tale:
A man of former wealth, now vagabond
who suffered sudden lapses into dark mind
once taught a girl a lesson
more kind than cash.
He commanded her to stillness
while first he cursed
the wife who sealed
his present prison fate.
Continuing, he berated mother
for committing him to hell
upon his former spouse’s
unjust recommendation.
The curious crowd noticed from nearby
as if they were swayed by a Syrian flute
that wakes a sleeping snake
and glued their eyes to his dramatic, irate state.
He rambled. She listened.
The rock of sheer solid steady sitting
caused awe and interest
did not betray the fact that here
there was mostly nothing.
She saw how attitude begets impressions
and slowed-down actions
bring attention away from “there”
towards “here.”
This is the outcome:
Equal in mental disfiguration
they gained a bond.
Years passed.
An intruding link from that distance
recalled the wisdom she now needed
that a sad and fractured millionaire once imparted.
He mentored her
and proved that when in need
she should emulate the loss of tension
which activates the future
blessed, unharmed, lucrative,
charmed.
Critique
By Hans Ostrom
Yes, learning to do nothing is something special, as is un-learning.
To obey the laws of attraction, one must sometimes disobey the instincts of attraction,
and in writing a narrative poem, one must resist the urge to tell a story.
Paradox is the perfect logic of poetry, which is attracted to contradiction
and likes to break laws peacefully. Poetry has its detractors, who don’t know
what they’re missing and miss what they don’t know. In poetry, there becomes here.
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Hans Ostrom’s recent books include The Coast Starlight: Collected Poems, 1976-2006 and Honoring Juanita, a novel. He co-edited The Greenwood Encyclopedia of African American Literature. His YouTube channel, langstonify, features recordings of poetry.
