TWENTY-ONE LOVE POEMS BY ADRIENNE RICH

XIII

The rules break like a thermometer,
quicksilver spills across the charted systems,
we’re out in a country that has no language
no laws, we’re chasing the raven and the wren
through gorges unexplored since dawn
whatever we do together is pure invention
the maps they gave us were out of date
by years… we’re driving through the desert
wondering if the water will hold out
the hallucinations turn to simple villages
the music on the radio comes clear—
neither Rosenkavalier nor Götterdämmerung
but a woman’s voice singing old songs
with new words, with a quiet bass, a flute
plucked and fingered by women outside the law.

© Adrienne Rich

• Journal your answers to these questions: What rules are breaking right now in your life? What maps are out of date? After you have finished journaling, reflect on what you’ve discovered.

• Imagine listening to a woman singing old songs with new words. What does the music sound like? What are the new words she is giving voice to?

• Begin a poem with the words, “ The rules break…”