Gongshi Meditation on the American Prairie
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BearWorks MSU Graduate Theses Spring 2018 Gongshi Meditation on the American Prairie Brandon A. Henry Missouri State University, [email protected] As with any intellectual project, the content and views expressed in this thesis may be considered objectionable by some readers. However, this student-scholar’s work has been judged to have academic value by the student’s thesis committee members trained in the discipline. The content and views expressed in this thesis are those of the student-scholar and are not endorsed by Missouri State University, its Graduate College, or its employees. Follow this and additional works at: https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses Part of the American Material Culture Commons, Other American Studies Commons, and the Poetry Commons Recommended Citation Henry, Brandon A., "Gongshi Meditation on the American Prairie" (2018). MSU Graduate Theses. 3228. https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/3228 This article or document was made available through BearWorks, the institutional repository of Missouri State University. The work contained in it may be protected by copyright and require permission of the copyright holder for reuse or redistribution. For more information, please contact [email protected]. GONGSHI MEDITATION ON THE AMERICAN PRAIRIE A Master’s Thesis Presented to The Graduate College of Missouri State University TEMPLATE In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts, English By Brandon Henry May 2018 Copyright 2018 by Brandon Allen Henry ii GONGSHI MEDITATION ON THE AMERICAN PRAIRIE English Missouri State University, May 2018 Master of Arts Brandon Henry ABSTRACT The following collection deals largely with autobiographical work. Created primarily between 2007-2018, the following poems reflect the life experiences and reflections of a poet throughout his thirties. Largely tied to regionalism of the Ozarks, many poems in this collection highlight specific locales throughout southwest Missouri and/or northern Arkansas, and explore, thematically, feelings of loneliness, isolation, the struggle of faith, and the impact of displacement, both physical and metaphysical. Further, many of the poems feature a through-line, thematically, involving the bonds of family and the impact of death on relationships and the human psyche. Lastly, an appreciation for, and connection with, nature frames much of the collection. Stylistically, the following poems show influence from the Deep Image style and the New York School, and often highlight a degree of formalism in the vein of Donald Justice. Taken as a whole, it is the intent of the author to present, within Gongshi Meditation on the American Prairie, a tableau of America in the present age, told through autobiographical experience of a searcher, and the America that exists in nature, metaphysics, and the experiences of life long gone and forgotten. KEYWORDS: regionalism, deep image, displacement, location, family, supernatural, death, Christianity, travel, American identity This abstract is approved as to form and content _______________________________ Marcus Cafagña Chairperson, Advisory Committee Missouri State University iii GONGSHI MEDITATION ON THE AMERICAN PRAIRIE By Brandon Henry A Master’s Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College Of Missouri State University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Arts, English May 2018 Approved: _______________________________________ Marcus Cafagña, MFA _______________________________________ Sara Burge, MFA _______________________________________ Shannon Wooden, PhD _______________________________________ Julie Masterson, PhD: Dean, Graduate College In the interest of academic freedom and the principle of free speech, approval of this thesis indicates the format is acceptable and meets the academic criteria for the discipline as determined by the faculty that constitute the thesis committee. The content and views expressed in this thesis are those of the student- scholar and are not endorsed by Missouri State University, its Graduate College, or its employees. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I have been lucky to be a part of something special in my graduate studies at Missouri State University. I want to thank both Marcus Cafagña, MFA, and Sara Burge, MFA, for their gracious support, encouragement, and the contribution of their time, not only in the preparation of this thesis, but also in writing workshops and personal correspondence. I will always value your opinions and guidance. I wish also to thank Dr. Shannon Wooden, who taught me better to look at the world through a critical eye. I have gained valuable perspective under your tutelage. I would like to thank my parents, for being great enablers. Through your help and support, I have avoided a lot of hardship. Thank you to Alex Webster, who kept an open ear for me. I appreciate your friendship and ongoing thoughts on writing. Thank you to Michael Burns, whose knowledge and guidance was formative on my writing at a time when I was just beginning. I learned long and valuable lessons under your scope. Finally, I would like to thank both Nicole Denise and my brother, Adam Henry, who both were instrumental in giving me the confidence to move forward with my poetry. Without their feedback and encouragement, I would not be here today, writing this thesis. And to all the other friends and colleagues who have lent support and guidance along the way, I close with a quote from Robert Graves: “I don’t really feel my poems are mine at all. I didn’t create them out of nothing. I owe them to my relations with other people.” v TABLE OF CONTENTS Looking Back at a Trailhead ................................................................................................1 I. Roots ..............................................................................................................................12 Snow Piss Names ...................................................................................................13 Dog Searching ........................................................................................................14 New Ashland Chickens ..........................................................................................15 Festival Campfires .................................................................................................16 Her Smiling ............................................................................................................17 Hilltopping Kids.....................................................................................................18 On Finding a Sandstone Discoidal in Taney County .............................................20 Wanderlust Friends ................................................................................................22 The Glass Lizard ....................................................................................................24 Pentecostal Revival Child ......................................................................................26 Westport Duchess, 1999 .......................................................................................28 Factory Farm Smokestacks over Noel, MO ...........................................................30 II. Vernalization .................................................................................................................32 Electrical Storms over Groom, TX ........................................................................33 Covalence Lake Michigan .....................................................................................35 F5 ...........................................................................................................................36 Malls of America ...................................................................................................38 Metacognition on Learning Your Place .................................................................39 Reflecting Israel Keyes ..........................................................................................40 On Traveling 60-miles with a Dragonfly ...............................................................42 Precision in Identification of Fungi as Soil Stabilizers ..........................................43 Stone Tape .............................................................................................................45 Sunlight Shining Through a Map Unfolding Maries County, MO ........................47 Houdini Séance ......................................................................................................48 Thermal Vision Sapient .........................................................................................49 The Perseid Meteors ..............................................................................................51 III. Tillering | Senescence ..................................................................................................52 On Selling My Forklift...........................................................................................53 Police Scanner Fellowship .....................................................................................54 Professors of Our Past ............................................................................................56 Student Snapshots as Speci(men and Women) Slides ...........................................57 Trading Places ........................................................................................................58