Friday, February 09, 2007

One Art

Are you a loser? I am. As in, I lose my keys and lock myself out of the house, lose bits of paper with Very Important Lists on them, lose the names of people in the dusty cabinets of my brain and lose the ability to answer even one more curious question from a very verbal 4-year-old... If you're a loser, too, you might like this poem by Elizabeth Bishop, titled One Art. I'd put it all here but I think it's not yet in the public domain, and librarians are supposed to protect copyright, etc., etc...
I should mention that the scope of the poem extends beyond lost keys and might make you a bit sad at the end. And while you're sad, go ahead and read this one (The Embrace) by Mark Doty. It describes a dream in which a deceased loved one returns, alive and well, to visit the author. It's beautiful.

2 comments:

Lindsay said...

"Soon"
Something is always arriving or fading,
Drifting down a stream or falling
From branches into a pool of shade

A cluster of hazelnuts lying in the grass
Of a summer garden soon, very soon
Graces a platter of olives and cheese

And green figs ripening since noon,
As we dine with the beautiful couple
At our table, drinking to the light

Between them a year before they part,
Confused and sad and sure, very sure
They cannot live together anymore
- Phyllis Levin

Kristi said...

That last poem, totally makes me think of a few dreams I have had about my Grandma. She passed away 4 years ago and I still really miss her. I love "seeing" her in my dreams.