The fragility of the flower
unbruised
penetrates space.
American poet
Sonnet in Search of an Author by William Carlos Williams
Nude bodies like peeled logs
sometimes give off the sweetest
odor, man and woman
under the trees in full excess
matching the cushion of
aromatic pine-drift fallen
threaded with trailing woodbine
a sonnet might be made of it
Might be made of it! odor of excess
odor of pine needles, odor of
peeled logs, odor of no odor
other than trailing woodbine that
has no odor, odor of nude woman
sometimes, odor of man.
The Undertaking by Louise Glück
The darkness lifts, imagine, in your lifetime.
There you are–cased in clean bark you drift
through weaving rushes, fields flooded with cotton.
You are free. The river films with lilies,
shrubs appear, shoots thicken into palm. And now
all fear gives way: the light
looks after you, you feel the waves’ goodwill
as arms widen over the water; Love,
the key is turned. Extend yourself–
it is the Nile, the sun is shining,
everywhere you turn is luck.
from The Hug by Tess Gallagher
Clearly, a little permission is a dangerous thing.
But when you hug someone you want it
to be a masterpiece of connection, the way the button
on his coat will leave the imprint of
a planet on my cheek
when I walk away. When I try to find some place
to go back to.
from Love Poem to Be Read to an Illiterate Friend by Tess Gallagher
Forgive it then
that so much of after
depends on these, the words
which must find you
off the page.
once again by James K. Zimmerman
Once again and once again
if only once again your eyes
could open, eyes could see
no need for lambs, for lambs
to slaughter, for martyrs
mothers, fathers, teachers
children once again
Do you listen? Can you hear?
Again and once again
do you need the darkness
hardened hearts, helpless
shrugs, no light to shine, no
light to shine once again?
Do you listen? Can you hear?
Once again and once again
they are children, they are ours
they are yours, they are
someone’s children once again
Again and never again, never
Columbine, Virginia Tech
Giffords and Aurora, Sandy Hook
Fort Hood, Charleston, Umpqua
San Bernadino, Pulse, Las Vegas
and now Parkland, once again
Once again and once again and
never again, help us, help us
they say, no more, but you say
they are only children, ones
who ran, ones who hid
Ones who will not run away
again, once again and again
Do you listen? Can you hear?
Do you feel again the need to run
the need to hide, a nod, a helpless
shrug, thoughts and prayers
you say, pretended sympathy
with eyes that do not see
that do not want to see
but your hands are open
eyes are open to money
over lives, power over heart
you run away once again
and again and again and
Never again, the children say
Never again once again
old telephone numbers
Of course, we must die.
How else will the world be rid of
the old telephone numbers
we cannot forget.
The numbers
it would be foolish–
utterly useless–
to call.
Charles Reznikoff
At Maple Bridge by Gary Snyder
Men are mixing gravel and cement
At Maple bridge,
Down an alley by a tea-stall
From Cold Mountain temple;
Where Chang Chi heard the bell.
The stone step moorage
Empty, lapping water,
And the bell sound has travelled
Far across the sea.
For the Children by Gary Snyder
The rising hills, the slopes,
of statistics
lie before us.
the steep climb
of everything, going up,
up, as we all
go down.
In the next century
or the one beyond that,
they say,
are valleys, pastures,
we can meet there in peace
if we make it.
To climb these coming crests
one word to you, to
you and your children:
stay together
leave the flowers
go light
Earth Verse by GarySnyder
Wide enough to keep you looking
Open enough to keep you moving
Dry enough to keep you honest
Prickly enough to make you tough
Green enough to go on living
Old enough to give you dreams
Leonard Durso 