That hunch was all acting
in the sunshine that squinted
all around the sky
left them dumbfounded by
the way they played
so later he would unfold and be a butterfly
and that small girl would sleep
and sleep like a blessed thing
the headdress her comfort,
that day her dream.
That day was all play
the sunshine acted out the sky
the butterfly slept and slept
then unfolded from a headdress
hunched up with its own dreams
dumbfounded by its blessing
so later she would squint into the
comfort and he would be the
dream of the thing.
I love this. Reminds me a bit of this old one of mine...
ReplyDelete5. So Many Good Things
Als das Kind Kind war…
Peter Handke
I.
It is very late. A Turkish woman
Is vacuuming the empty library
She’ll go to an all-night laundromat after
And watch hope go through its cycles
When the child was a child
She lived in room 29 next to mine
She could imagine anything
II.
Wake up with the holy armor
When it was thrown down at you
Later that day you’ll pawn it for $50
Your head is still bleeding a little
But there are so many good things left
A stranger gives you your first money
To try your very first cup of coffee
And you’ll burn your mouth
Wondering about the first snow
You give a stranger exquisite directions
And wait for first bliss in a circle of sand
Compañero, compañero, they whisper
Other wings will grow that will be valid
You will find her. You will find a home.
O Rob, yours has so much in it! Thanks for sharing!
DeleteI love how this poem folds in on itself like the butterfly's wings.
ReplyDeleteyes, it's a wonderful poem, Lucy
ReplyDelete