I.the snowflakes settled
into piles of fallen leaves
overnight. a frost
has overtaken
the geraniums that i
ignored while grading.
while i wouldn't want
to look for other work, i
fantasize about ...
... anything, about
everything, about choices
that led to this cold
november day, to
this perennial regret.
this semester is ...
... difficult. this time
the problem is as much me
as anything else.
as soon as the term
began, i knew that i was
changed, somehow lesser
inside, like some half-
filled balloon that languishes
between up and down,
landing and flight, poised
for something that it is not
able to achieve.
i am unable
to find the necessary
buoyancy for, for ...
...well, for anything.
i do not know when or how
it happened, but i
know that -- unlike the
geraniums -- i do not
have the frost to blame.
Oh, dear, Greta. This one is, as usual, lovely (I like the way "perennial regret" plays against the annual geraniums and their frost-bitten fate), but very bleak. I do hope there's some prospect for a respite, a reset, something. . .
ReplyDeleteOh Greta, this is a beautiful, intense, very relevent poem. I feel ya, sister!
ReplyDeleteWhy couldn't we all have Greta at our school? "I do not have the frost to blame" is gorgeous. Of course many of the lines are.
ReplyDeleteYou're a treasure, which I think someone said before on here.
Geraniums, snug
ReplyDeleteUnder their blanket of snow
Wait to be reborn
Gretta,snug, with tea
Deflates for end of term,
Spring brings buoyancy!
Such poignant beauty in these lines. Thank you, Greta! I've missed your perspective.
ReplyDeleteA feeling keenly felt, and aptly captured. I especially love the recurring ellipses. Bravissima, Greta!
ReplyDeleteOh my. Lovely with longing. Thank you, Greta.
ReplyDelete