Weekly Poem: GRAMMAR LESSON EIGHT—Chapter Four: Nouns (Gerunds)

June 18, 2014

By James Burbank

Verbs always push around
the nouns of this life

always doing stuff
we think of usually
as verbs

as actions—the word actions
a noun when verbs be-
come nouns when I sojourn forth
becomes sojourning
the fact that the sojourn journeys
forth into this darkness

where nouns live as shadows under fake cement rocks
convinced of their thickness their hollowness only
through the saying

of their shapeless forms
the place between
noun as action and
action as thing the space
between neither and nor

This piece was written by:

James Burbank

James Burbank has written and published over 200 articles for regional and national publications such as Reuters International News Service, The World & I Magazine, National Catholic Reporter, Farmer’s Almanac, Los Angeles Herald Examiner, La Opinion, New Mexico Magazine, Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque Tribune. He is author of Retirement New Mexico, the best selling book published by New Mexico Magazine Press, now in its third edition. He is also author of Vanishing Lobo: the Mexican Wolf in the Southwest, published by Johnson Books.

As a professional writing consultant, he has written and edited publications, video and radio scripts, annual reports, and investment information for a wide variety of corporate clients. A Lecturer II for the Department of English, Burbank has specialized in teaching technical writing and professional writing. His interests extend from composition and writing theory to environmental and nature writing. He has played a leadership role in developing and implementing the English Department’s teaching mentorship program.

New Mexico Mercury