N a p a l m H e a l t h S p a : R e p o r t 2 0 1 2

MARGE PIERCY

Were you really there?

We no longer experience;

instead we record. A wedding

is organized by the photographer

so photos can be shown for years

to bored guests. The camera

makes the marriage real.

Videographers want to insert

themselves, their equipment

between poet and audience.

The connection doesn’t matter.

The video of what then never

really happened is precious.

Yes, old photos give off

nostalgia like peonies release

scent. But they don’t make

friends close again, don’t make

old lovers care, don’t reanimate

Mother or long buried pets.

People seem to travel to Rome,

Beijing, the sphinx not to enjoy,

contemplate, study, but rather

to click and click and post on

Facebook. The moment’s vanquished

recording what wasn’t seen.