This week’s poem finds pleasure and reassurance in names. In “The Comfort of Named Things,” by Deborah Cummins, we hear a litany of very specific words for very specific creatures, objects and places. I love the music of this poem’s names, the progression of named things and how Cummins quietly suggests both the beauty and the need behind our naming.
Deborah Cummins is the author of a book of essays and three poetry collections, most recently “Until They Catch Fire” (Deerbrook Editions, 2020). Her work has appeared in many literary magazines and journals and has been the recipient of various awards, including the Maine Literary Awards. She has been a Haystack trustee and currently serves as board president of MWPA. She lives in Portland and Deer Isle.
Poets, please note that submissions to Deep Water are open through the end of the year. Deep Water is especially eager to share poems by Black writers, writers of color, indigenous writers, and other underrepresented voices. You’ll find a link to submit in the credits below.
The Comfort in Named Things
By Deborah Cummins
Say auk, not duck.
Say alcid, black guillemot.
To granite ledge, add
glacial, magma, volcanic.
Specify cove with Cat,
Burnt, or Crockett.
Like the map, make islands
Moose, Hardhead, Little Pickering.
Point, if you must
if you can’t connect Ursa,
Major or Minor, or Orion.
Alone in a rented cottage on the shore,
rename love. Say
Bob, Ben, Christina, Michael.
Learn ebb and flow, neap and flood.
If necessary, invent a word
for waves that don’t hesitate
in their slap and slide,
for the waning moon
that doesn’t tremble.
Megan Grumbling is a poet and writer who lives in Portland. DEEP WATER: Maine Poems is produced in collaboration with the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance. “The Comfort in Named Things,” copyright © 2002 by Deborah Cummins, originally appeared in Beyond the Reach (BkMk Press). It appears by permission of the author. Submissions to Deep Water are open now and through the end of the year. For more information, go to mainewriters.org/deep-water.
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