Robert Fanning
Garden Cello
Come we swarm to the sun-warmed gold.
Come we to the wood, come we drawn
to hum and hold. Come we lonely. Come we low.
Come we pray to key and scale, to homilies
of thrum. Come we sonata. Come we want.
Come we to bowed head and scroll, come we
spiral round the blooming bud. Come we curl
and thrill. Come we pulse of the bow's slow lick.
Come we flow. Come we tease the hem
of purfling, come we drone and purr. Come we
down long neck and waist. Come we finger,
come we peak. Come we glide vibrato. Come we
itch to crest and spill. Come we tongue and blossom.
Come we solo, come we cell. Come we call
and follow. Come we cavity. Come we dive.
Come we honey stomach. Come we nectar melody.
Come we alive. Come we to the F-hole gates,
come we to the sweet dark hive. Come we
crescendo. Come we full and hollow. Come we
whole and home. Come we come we honeycomb.
Robert Fanning (he/him/his) is the author of four-full length poetry collections: Severance, Our Sudden Museum, American Prophet, and The Seed Thieves, as well as two chapbooks, Sheet Music and Old Bright Wheel. His poems have appeared in Poetry, Ploughshares, Shenandoah, Waxwing, The Cortland Review, Rattle, failbetter and many other journals. He is a Professor of English at Central Michigan University, and the founder/facilitator of the Wellspring Literary Series in Mt. Pleasant, MI.
Return to January 2021 Edition
Come we swarm to the sun-warmed gold.
Come we to the wood, come we drawn
to hum and hold. Come we lonely. Come we low.
Come we pray to key and scale, to homilies
of thrum. Come we sonata. Come we want.
Come we to bowed head and scroll, come we
spiral round the blooming bud. Come we curl
and thrill. Come we pulse of the bow's slow lick.
Come we flow. Come we tease the hem
of purfling, come we drone and purr. Come we
down long neck and waist. Come we finger,
come we peak. Come we glide vibrato. Come we
itch to crest and spill. Come we tongue and blossom.
Come we solo, come we cell. Come we call
and follow. Come we cavity. Come we dive.
Come we honey stomach. Come we nectar melody.
Come we alive. Come we to the F-hole gates,
come we to the sweet dark hive. Come we
crescendo. Come we full and hollow. Come we
whole and home. Come we come we honeycomb.
Robert Fanning (he/him/his) is the author of four-full length poetry collections: Severance, Our Sudden Museum, American Prophet, and The Seed Thieves, as well as two chapbooks, Sheet Music and Old Bright Wheel. His poems have appeared in Poetry, Ploughshares, Shenandoah, Waxwing, The Cortland Review, Rattle, failbetter and many other journals. He is a Professor of English at Central Michigan University, and the founder/facilitator of the Wellspring Literary Series in Mt. Pleasant, MI.
Return to January 2021 Edition