Somerville, 8/13/92
1 While we were walking
we felt the violent wind
blow sleet through our hair.
Garbage rolled over the street,
5 splashing clumsily
into the dirty water,
where it floated for a while,
before sinking to the bottom
of that ancient canal.
10 The trees, which outlined
the city's parking places,
swayed while their branches
whipped the windows
of the sturdy town-houses.
15 Lost leaves sailed
silently through the air.
Cycling into the wind
had become impossible;
people pushed their bikes,
20 quickly trying to get home
before the rain would come
pouring down. Orange and blue
umbrellas appeared everywhere.
The city-lights turned on,
25 illuminating the brick bridges
and the Christmas decorations
which entertained the children,
still dreaming in their sand-box.
From high-school I remembered:
30 "Surrounded by stormy seas,
livid lakes, and sweeping swamps,
Amsterdam was granted city-rights
about seven hundred years ago."
I held my felt hat tightly
35 in place with my left hand,
while my other hand held hers firmly,
as if I were pulling her through
the deserted squares and alleys
that passed us left and right.
40 In reality, it was the wind
that carried us along
on the winged vapors of time.
We entered the Vondelpark
through the main entrance
45 where we were saluted
by a flash of fierce lightning,
and by a bang of thunder,
which made the trees tremble in fear
and the park's animals disappear
50 into their natural hiding places.
We faced each other:
we smiled, like brave children would.
I wanted to kiss her intensely,
but she held me tightly around my waist
55 before my hands could caress her face,
thus, I had to submit to our embrace.
The two of us stood there
awkwardly. I noticed a curious insect
moving uncertainly back and forth
60 on the back of her wind-breaker,
and suddenly I remembered a poet past:
"...caught in the form of limitation
between un-being and being..."
My mind was now encapsulated
65 by this little, defenseless creature;
I shivered completely.
"We will be soaking wet soon,"
she said softly, as she stroked
the back of my neck ever so gently,
70 making all my nerves feel sensitive.
"Let's go to my place," she continued,
"I will make us hot chocolate,
and we can discuss our dinner plans."
But my gaze was still fixed
75 on that wandering, many-legged being,
approaching the hood of her jacket.
My lover pulled briskly at my hair.
"Come," she said,"you crazy poet,
we're going to seek shelter
80 for you to explain your wondrous state."
As she spoke and took me along,
the insect fell off its living plateau.
I felt a deep resentment toward her,
and I began to dread our time together.
This is wonderful. Please share more poems!
Posted by: Jon Cogburn | 11/05/2015 at 06:57 PM