After Years

I wanted to write a poem, tonight, as a self-portrait. Something comical, satirical, and surreal that I might read later and remember fondly. But this week has been overwhelmingly busy at work, and I'm loathing screens at the moment. I can journal just fine, but the instant I sit at this computer for writing, the words look tired and unappealing.


After Years
Today, from a distance, I saw you
walking away, and without a sound
the glittering face of a glacier
slid into the sea. An ancient oak
fell in the Cumberlands, holding only
a handful of leaves, and an old woman
scattering corn to her chickens looked up
for an instant. At the other side
of the galaxy, a star thirty-five times
the size of our own sun exploded
and vanished, leaving a small green spot
on the astronomer's retina
as he stood in the great open dome
of my heart with no one to tell
- Ted Kooser (Delights & Shadows) 

I really appreciate Ted Kooser's poetry. He started out working as a life insurance executive, similar to how I am just a computer programmer. It's difficult starting out with poetry, but it is encouraging because so many of the other famous poets seemed to get jobs as poetry translators (Bly, Simic, Bishop etc). But Ted Kooser, like Wendell Berry, seems more human, as though this poetic mastery is within my grasp, also. And his poems delicately peal open the folds of my heart and sew intricate flowers into the lining, hurting and beautifying my life at the same time.


Draw away the curtained lines,
let the petals bloom in summer light,
touch-kiss and unravel
the eyelash webs of sleeping life -
what do you see in the wells
dark and deep of my soul?
a tiny child, believing in miracles,
or superheroes, high in the skies.
but no, child, these streets are owned
by villainy.
there's no good, not here, they warn me.
but search still deeper in those pools
of mystery, and you'll know
there's fire in my eyes


yucky. not a poetry writing night, that's for certain. I guess I'll let Ted do the talking and I'll just listen as his words pour over me.