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Primitive Afternoon
by
Richard Allen Taylor
Next
 
I asked for
this primitive afternoon
away from it all
 
absent alarms, clocks, reminders,
no traffic noise, no sirens
no voices
 
unless you count
the throaty gargle of the creek
that runs through this Texas ravine
 
or the whisper of bluebonnets
that sway like a thousand tiny bells.
All the traffic I need is here
 
the pebbled rush of water 
the sporty-convertible wind in my hair
a gray feather racing downstream.
 
The shadow I cast
sitting here on a flat rock
bare legs dangling in the current
 
points to
whatever hour I choose
to write with a wet finger.
 
 
This poem first appeared in the James River Review (2004).
Used here with the author’s permission.

 

 

Richard Allen Taylor earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina and now lives in Greer, South Carolina. Author of five poetry collections including, most recently, Geography of One (Main Street Rag), his poems, articles, and reviews have appeared in numerous publications. A former review editor for The Main Street Rag and a founding co-editor emeritus of the Kakalak Anthology of Poetry and Art, Richard was awarded the 2025 Passionfruit Poetry Prize and has been nominated multiple times for the Pushcart Prize. Learn more about him at https://richardallentaylor.com/.

                  

 

 


Post New Comment:
rcstewart3:
What a wonderful word painting!
Posted 08/12/2013 08:22 PM
Wilda Morris:
I'm lookin' for that rock - I want to spend a day or two with my leg danglin' in the water, listenin' to the bluebells.
Posted 08/12/2013 06:48 PM
msruff:
Wonderful imagery. I feel as if I'm really there.
Posted 08/12/2013 04:33 PM
Donna Pflueger:
Vivid and alive! A place and a poem I don't want to leave!
Posted 08/12/2013 02:23 PM
Glenda Beall:
Primitive, yes, compared to today's electronics and high tech life. But these kinds of days are what most of us crave to get away from the rush, pressure, and stress of today's world. I really like this poem, Richard.
Posted 08/12/2013 02:22 PM
paula:
Great language!
Posted 08/12/2013 07:41 AM
erinsnana:
wonderful images!
Posted 08/12/2013 07:34 AM
rksanders@charter.net:
Love "the sporty-convertible wind." Even if we can't be in such a spot you describe, we can go there through your poem. Thank you.
Posted 08/12/2013 07:18 AM
TheSilverOne:
We all need these kind of days to stay alive in the modern world...or to be reminded of them through poetry...beautiful.
Posted 08/12/2013 06:13 AM
phebe.davidson@gmail.com:
A memorable and beautifully worded pause from the workaday world!
Posted 08/12/2013 05:36 AM


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