A is for the Alpha and Omega of Now (+ for August at 11)

during April, i am joining the A-Z Blogging Challenge - each day, i will revisit the archives from a new and unexpected alphabetical view, and repost the most interesting things. More about the plan: A-to-Z Blogging Challenge, April 2013

Today is: A. which lead to an alpha visual and an August poem. notes on both, below:

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august at 11

in summer, we always headed to the mountains—
to Austria, Switzerland—following alpine paths
earning the amethyst needle, the chamois badge
for multiple stays in the same place

then, one august, we drove to the northern sea
the wind was freezing while we sauntered the sand dunes
yet people ran through the waves in bikinis and shorts
you get used to it, everyone said, it's not that cold

in the evening, we walked to the harbour
to see the metal sailboats, to watch the fishermen
leave on night cruises, catching shrimp and crabs
to sell, to boil alive for tomorrow's supper

the water was almost transparent
there were starfish, everywhere
an army of them, lingering silently
at the edge of the ocean

i kneeled and watched them, urged them
to make a move, to acknowledge my presence
—come, my mother said, they will still
be here tomorrow

but of course, the next day
they were gone, to never return
leaving but a premonition
of all the things waiting to be missed


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A-Notes
the Alpha and Omega of Now .... is a visual collaboration with Jeff Crouch, first published in Dogzplot. sadly, the magazine isn't online any more, but there's more about the piece here: the alphaandomegaofnow

and following the letter A in the archives, i arrived in: August. with a poem that reaches rather far back into time, to our first family holiday at the ocean. "august at 11" was inspired by the eclectica 4-word poetry challenge: "write a poem that includes the words.. amethyst, sailboat, transparent, and premonition". here's the direct link, really glad that this page is still up: august at 11 by Dorothee Lang.

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A to Z Links

• List of all participating A-Z blogs
• i'm at #1476. my blog list neighbours are: Unveil the Other Side, who blogs from India and whose A is Avocado, and Me, You and Zu who is starting the A to Z with aadvarks (an animal i didn't know existed). Then there are  Sue's Trifles, Never Cry over spilled milk, A Drunken Space Penguin.. but i guess i am a bit early timewise for checking fellow blogs.