Week 2: OPEN

Vincent Van Gogh, Olive Trees, Mont Majour

The Shepherd
for Ernesto Trejo

The grasses begin where he begins
The descent home,
A harp swung over his left shoulder,
The moon over the other.
At his waist, a small satchel
Of jicama and a long nostril of turnip.

Kin to the felled tree,
The collapsed stone,
The three-legged chicken pickled and showing
In a cellar of the poor,
He is returning at
The pace at which the sun untangles itself

By the moon's laughter
The willow's desire to touch its feet.
There is no hurry, toss the trees.
Good Wood, Good Fire, fall the chinked coins of leaves.
Where he steps, the grasses rub
Their notched faces, whispering his name.

--Gary Soto

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Note: For those few of you who are doing the course anew, to keep it fesh--an alternative is to start with the word TEND--in the sense of flock...  It goes with the above.  You can also work with OPEN, of course--but make it new...!

For the main group--new to the class--I think you'll see a connection between OPEN and many of the ideas that came up in discussion last class.