Almanac Poetry: Propinquity
Woman with wax tablets and stylus. Fresco from Pompeii, c. 55-79 AD.
Propinquity
Curled up dogs – plaster cast –
entwined lovers
wrought similarly;
pots and drinking vessels;
murals on the walls;
eternally-halted attitudes
of flight and passive acceptance
mark Pompeii’s inclusion
in the pages of history.
But the same Vesuvian fate befell
nearby Herculaneum,
Stabiae, Oplontis,
Boscoriale
– Pompeii’s lesser known
little sisters-in-tragedy.
To read more from Kevin Densley CLICK HERE.
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About
Kevin Densley is a graduate of both Deakin University and The University of Melbourne. He has taught writing and literature in numerous Victorian universities and TAFES. He is a poet and writer-in-general. His fifth book-length poetry collection, Please Feed the Macaws ... I'm Feeling Too Indolent, was published in late 2023 by Ginninderra Press. He is also the co-author of ten play collections for young people, as well as a multi Green Room Award nominated play, Last Chance Gas, which was published by Currency Press. Other writing includes screenplays for educational films.
Nice poem Kevin. I’ve always been fascinated by the excavations and was lucky to be there in 1999. And you’re right: Pompeii gets all the press and many are unaware of those lesser known towns nearby that the mighty Vesuvius also claimed.
Thanks, DB. Like you, I’m fascinated by the archaeological work concerning Pompeii and the nearby areas that also suffered because of the 79 AD Vesuvius eruption. I’m also interested in a general way in those aspects of history that are for various reasons not emphasised.
Caecilius est iratus!!
Can you imagine the terror!
I can just imagine the terror, Dips.
That’s why I chose a charming, gentle piece of Pompeii artwork to accompany my poem, as a kind of counterpoint to the apocalyptic scenes of the actual event.
Grand word. Grand sentiments. Grand song.
Mike Nesmith – Propinquity “I’ve known you for a long time, but I’ve just begun to care”.
Yes, PB, propinquity is a fine word, with its connotations of nearness/closeness, that kind of thing.
And yes, I was aware of the Nesmith song, too; in fact, it may it may have been the means – a long time back – by which I got to know the word itself.