Fred Marchant

Poet and translator, workshop teacher, and manuscript consultation

  • About
    • Interviews
  • Poems
  • Essays
  • News
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Poetry
  • Translation
  • Editor
  • Anthologies
  • All Books

A Cairn by the Cabin

                                                  Walden, 2018

. . . the asphalt parking 

lot, our summer high 

thick heat, and children  

with towels, flip-flops,  

popsicle Rockets, 

red white and blue ice . . .

 . . . how deep the hole 

our country did fall 

into while we slept

and how the dream 

brought us locusts, 

their whine the sound 

of a someone strapped 

to the table, cut open, 

for the hoses and salt . . . 

. . . impossible to say

where we stand now 

on a path that circles 

what HDT said was 

the eye of God but

now feels like a corner 

where a sparrow has 

fallen from its nest

and looks up at us, 

bewildered as we are. . . 

. . . down in the mud, 

leafy pools, shallows,

deep within alluvial 

history, our truths

unfolding beneath us, 

so he wanted to find 

out if there was after 

all some granite there,

something we believed in,

that held us together . . .  

. . . He must have known

it was always tentative

ready to fall apart,

that we each would 

have to believe enough 

to build it over again 

and that this is what 

these stones are here for. . .

Fred Marchant's signature

in Pangyrus V , Winter 2018

Share:

Poems

Thoreau quote at Walden PondA Cairn by the Cabin
A Place at the Table, poem by Fred Marchant. Photo by Stefi RubinA Place at the Table
Bristlecone, poem by Fred MarchantBristlecone
library
Olive Harvest, poem by Fred MarchantOlive Harvest
On a Collage by Peter Sacks
St. John's Point, photo and poem by Fred MarchantSt. John’s Point
The Looking House, poem and photo by Fred MarchantThe Looking House Stanza
Migrants, poem and photo by Fred MarchantThe Migrants
The Peach, by Võ Quê
The Salt Stronger, poem and photo by Fred MarchantThe Salt Stronger
Fred Marchant, reading for Warrior WritersTipping Point

Let's stay in touch!

* = required field

Follow Me

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Search

Privacy and Cookie Policy

  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy

Copyright © 2023 Fred Marchant · created by Present Tense

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. ACCEPTCookie settingsRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT