The RetroLounge Daily Poem Thread (Tue 7/10/2007)

[RetroLounge]

Long Afternoon at the Edge of Little Sister Pond

As for life,
I'm humbled,
I'm without words
sufficient to say

how it has been hard as flint,
and soft as a spring pond,
both of these
and over and over,

and long pale afternoons besides,
and so many mysteries
beautiful as eggs in a nest,
still unhatched

though warm and watched over
by something I have never seen—
a tree angel, perhaps,
or a ghost of holiness.

Every day I walk out into the world
to be dazzled, then to be reflective.
It suffices, it is all comfort—
along with human love,

dog love, water love, little-serpent love,
sunburst love, or love for that smallest of birds
flying among the scarlet flowers.
There is hardly time to think about

stopping, and lying down at last
to the long afterlife, to the tenderness
yet to come, when
time will brim over the singular pond, and become forever,

and we will pretend to melt away into the leaves.
As for death,
I can't wait to be the hummingbird,
can you?

Mary Oliver

****************

RL

If you have a request for a certain Poet, post their name in the thread and I will find a poem by them and post it...

if you want to see some of my poetry, see the blog at:
http://www.myspace.com/retropaul

[Callalily]

1. What a lovely poem

RL. It is a great reminder that we should all walk out into the world to be dazzled no matter what life throws at us, because each day is truly dazzling.

:hi:

[Wetzelbill]

2. try Allison Hawthorne Deming

It might be Alison. I can't quite recall. She's an awesome poet. Good liberal too. She was my creative nonfiction professor.

[wildhorses]

3. thank you retro

like her, i can't wait.

[Inchworm]

4. That was a neat poem

:thumbsup:



:hi:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

5. Good morning, my dear Retro!

Mmmm....this is lovely!

She almost takes my fear of death away...

Exquisitely put!

(Did I mention I've signed up for a poetry class at my local community college?)

Thank you...:hug:

[RetroLounge]

6. Poetry Class?

Yay! :bounce:

I loved my poetry workshops...

:hi:

RL