Prompt 20: Fog by Carl Sandburg (Poem)

Book: Chicago Poems (1916)
Author: Carl Sandburg

Poem: Fog
Genre: Poetry

Prompt from Chloe Bristol

Fog
By Carl Sandburg

The fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

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Fear

The Fear comes
at me like Henan’s
heavy luck bell1
(emptied of
luck)
Its robust waist
pendulum me panicked it’s
sound bow dimpled
lip around the clapper
& CLANG! Too loud!
(I cover my ears with my
cold-sweat palms –)
yes I am afraid

and when the ground
settles her vibrations the ghosts
come trapeze-ing on the bell’s crown
whistling to keep fear a tongue-tie
away from my hollowing body

Fear moves on, huffing
looks back at me – bell-bottom
jeans torn at the hem
high on haunches

 ¹Bell of Good Luck, Henan China, weight 240,000 pounds

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