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By Lisa Jarnot

On this most perfect hill
with these most perfect dogs
are these most perfect people
and this most perfect fog
 
In this most perfect fog
that is the middle of the sea
inside the perfect middle of
the things inside that swing
 
In this most perfect rhyme
that takes up what it sees,
with perfect shelter from the
rain as perfect as can be,
 
In this most perfect day
at the apex of the sun
runs this most perfect
frog song that is roiling
from the mud
 
In these most perfect habits
of the waving of the trees,
through this imperfect language
rides a perfect brilliancy.


Lisa Jarnot, "This Most Perfect Hill" from Black Dog Songs. Copyright © 2003 by Lisa Jarnot.  Reprinted by permission of Flood Editions.

Source: Black Dog Songs (Flood Editions, 2003)

  • Arts & Sciences
  • Nature

Poet Bio

Lisa Jarnot
Lisa Jarnot was born in Buffalo, New York. After studying with the poet Robert Creeley at the University of Buffalo, she earned her MFA from Brown University. Her poetry is known for its startling yet inviting aesthetic. Jarnot has commented, “I think poems are always collage on some level. . . . Collage is a way to force awareness out of the random flow of information that’s constantly bombarding us.” She lives in Sunnyside, New York. See More By This Poet

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