Scarecrow Pretends
How may I claim another’s earth for myself? My perpetual
stance invites occlusion of the senses and a certain disregard
for dignity; I flap in the breeze and bits of me scatter across
the fields. Sze asks if we know a bird’s name in ten
languages do we know any more about the bird. I say no,
but I am a species of stitched remnants and expectation,
a race of one. Genderless, my hollow name holds no secrets,
no history. If I called myself Hudson would anyone recognize
my stuffing for what it is not? What flows through my clothing
but rags, straw, the useless and unwanted. Insects and their feces.
The unearned, the unwarranted. The underclass. Folly. Design.
Gift by delusion. Does attracting more crows than I deter negate
my existence? And which am I? A river? A man? An effigy, one
perception, or another? I do not frighten, but welcome. Speak
louder, that we may ignore our insignificance, our true names.
“Scarecrow Pretends” was published in The Slag Review in January 2017, and a few months later was mentioned in an article in the Long River Review’s blog: “Scarecrow Pretends: Robert Okaji’s Metallurgy.”
O at the Edges 
The scarecrow speaks our voice but do we listen?
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Some do, but most can’t catch the faintest trace of his words.
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If unable to ignore, strive to accept personal insignificance … indeed welcome interruption from surrounding beings (likely far more entertaining) …
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My personal insignificance is quite easy to accept! These days, in my quest to avoid being reinfected with COVID, I tend to avoid surrounding beings, at least in enclosed spaces. Alas, this means I no longer participate in one of my favorite activities: eavesdropping on conversations. The Whole Foods craft beer bar was my favorite place for this. The level of discourse there was varied and interesting, ranging from conversations on indie bands to ancient naval warfare. One of the few things (other than people) I miss from my former life.
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Eavesdropping can stimulate all sorts of inner reflections and outer expressions (some poetic) – I’m adding Whole Foods craft beer bar to my explore list. (There’s a closer Whole Foods, but minus beer bar.)
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I considered the craft beer bar a reward for grocery shopping (not that I mind going to grocery stores). 🙂
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Names are more important than we realize. But few ever learn their true ones. Scarecrow is one of the few who knows. (K)
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Personal truths can be difficult to accept…
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Thanks for this one, Bob! By happenstance, today I ordered Arthur Sze’s 1970-1998 collection of work.
Sent via mobile device
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Ah, The Redshifting Web! You can’t go wrong with Arthur! His poetry blows me away! Always.
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