Sunday, September 18, 2005

To Grief

To Grief

August slips cool into a September porch swing.
Come sit with me and have coffee at 3am.

We'll speak without shame,
for we've been intimate for years -
since you found your place
between my husband's hips and mine.

We are one another's quiet addiction, each
the other's lingering suicide. I recognize
pain, my reflection, in your eyes,
and yet I draw you in.

You are my Marlboro man, here to save me,
but there is too much smoke -
summer stinking and thick with kudzu vows.

Autumn rings on some distant curve,
and with this dreaded friend, I pray.
Together we mourn midnights into dawn
on the whispered tune of our blessings:

Hurry, on the west wind to the seas, move them
with the tarnished arc of the harvest moon.



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8 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:46 AM

    you just plain rock, Madam E. you put a lot of beauty into your affair with grief, and make your poems shine. And, alas, autumn is on its way...dang, we have too much to do before then.

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  2. Doug~
    I miss you! It just makes my day when you stop by *hug*

    Madman~
    I would love to hear your thoughts on my poetry, even if you think they're over-thunk thoughts ;)

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  3. Personally, I'd rather have you asleep at 3 a.m., but it does make for some fine poetry.

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  4. Actually V, I was very asleep at 3am this morning. I had literally had 1 hour sleep in, hell I lost count how many hours I was up ... anyway, I passed out on the couch at 11 last night and slept till 4am. Then Terra had a bad dream at 4 and got up and I couldn't get back to sleep till 7:30, so I went back to bed then and slept till 11 :)

    You're talking to a very well rested E.

    Glad you liked the poem - it was actually written at 4am lol.

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  5. While I disagree with Doug on the approach of autumn (we CRAVE it here), I must agree that the poem is haunting. I keep reading it, sometimes a stanza over and over, and sometimes in whole. It captures me.

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  6. It is full of emotion in a sort of undercooled way, but without growing bitterness
    I like it

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  7. Kudzu vows.

    perfect.

    there's joy in this pain

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  8. Thanks guys. I think this is one of my favorites of my recent work, I'm glad you all enjoyed it as well

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