XXX

I realized during that last post that I kind of missed Bumper Sticker day from the old site. I may just bring that back. Also, there's been no poetry here lately. Of course, there's been no much of anything here lately, right?

Part of working on that is giving myself reasons to write. For such a long time now I've been unable to write anything that doesn't deal with my day-to-day struggle and I'm tired enough of trying to deal with it in real life. Somehow, it makes it even worse to see it in writing.

So, for a little while, I'm just going to entertain myself with things I love, or things that other people have written that make me think or express something I wish I could express as well as they.

And we shall begin with a poem.

XXX

Spring darkness is forgiving. It doesn’t descend

abruptly before you have finished work,

it approaches palely waiting for you

to get outside to witness another illumined hour

you feel someone brush against you,

on the street, you smell leather, the lake,

the coming leaves, the rain’s immortality

pierces you, but you will be asleep when it arrives

you will lie in the groove of a lover’s neck

unconscious, translucent, tendons singing,

and that should be enough, the circumference

of the world narrowed to your simple dreams

Days are perfect, that’s the thing about them,

standing here in half darkness, I think this.

It’s difficult to rise to that, but I expect it

I expect each molecule of my substance to imitate that

I can’t of course, I can’t touch syllables

tenderness, throats.

Look it’s like this, I’m just like the rest,

limping across the city, flying when I can

Dionne Brand