To round out 2009, I want to share two more poems—the subjects of which came to mind over the past few weeks while I was getting ready for the holidays and visiting my parents for Christmas. Not surprisingly, one good and one bad, as is fitting for this time of the year.
Wherever you are, I hope 2010 is your best one yet!
***
Eden
As usual, she began this creation
Behind schedule: a carefully planted
Plot of flannel and cotton,
Received just a little late,
A flowing checkerboard
Of rose and bluebell and lilac.
Golden pinwheels twirl sun spots
Skittering and dancing across its surface.
Cut and basted, stitched and batted -
She labored over this fabric,
Embossing it with daisies
Stemming from white thread.
At bedtime I slip under this garden
Of blooms. Even though I’m so far
From home, she still manages to
Keep me safe and warm.
Migraine
Sometimes I sneak up behind you
As you’re bent over the computer screen,
Or I crawl up your sheets
While you’re still asleep.
I ignite the embers behind your eyes –
They burn in protest.
I send waves of red hot blood
Coursing through your brain
So hard you can hear the
thump-thump.
Oh, does that hurt?
So you think you can banish me
With chemicals and pills?
Boy, have you got a lot to learn.
I make your stomach convulse and churn.
You hold your own hand to your forehead
So long you can’t stand
The smell of your own skin.
And that stale Gatorade taste in your mouth?
Quite bothersome as well, I would think.
What did I tell you?
You lie prone on your bed
Cursing my existence,
Wishing that your own body
Would listen to you for once.
It’s too bad you haven’t figured it out yet.
Close your eyes and I’ll just melt away.
