N is for...Notes
When you get to
unpack the case, you’ll find
the folded river like
a paper crane;
the courtyard, the
terrace and the blind lane
have travelled with
you, nothing’s left behind.
In some garment, in
the collar or cuff -
the smell of rain.
The lamppost under which
the poor sold
bargains pressed hard by the rich
has come with you and
can’t be shaken off.
You’ll
find the texture of sun ripened noons
in the meshed pockets of your suitcases,
the
unloved street kids with their grubby faces,
the
rain splashed windows, the dissolving moons.
There’s
nothing you can untangle, discard –
however
far you go from this courtyard.
Today I found this half finished pre-pandemic poem in the notes section of my phone. I'd completed it differently at the time it was first sketched and have posted it earlier. I tweaked the last stanza and couplet afresh and am offering it here for the N-day.
Happy Easter to you if you are celebrating, happy A-Zing if you're participating in the challenge and happy Spring to all those who are doing neither.
And happy autumn to some of us too.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this wistful, beautiful poem.
Happy autumn to you, EC! I am in autumn territory myself :) but it feels more like summer here, temps into mid 30s and quite hot.
DeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteIt is an established fact that smell is one of the strongest memory triggers... beautifully framed by your words! YAM xx
Yup, so it is.
DeleteMade me think of all the things I carry with me always.
ReplyDeleteI carry more of that kind of stuff than actual clothes etc. Not sure how smart that is, but can't change now :)
DeleteYour way with words just leaves me in awe. I think about doing poetry and then feel stymied...like, I just can't express as well. It's okay. I feel that way about Amanda Gorman, too. Just too amazing. Thank you. Thank you for your words and expressive feelings. Dang! That's my high praise.
ReplyDeleteOmg just seeing Amanda Gorman typed in the same paragraph is making me swoon! High praise indeed, thank you always for the unstinting support!
DeleteI do mean it. When I reply or comment on your posts, I truly put thought into it. I hope some day we could meet in person. I don't want to sound weird, but I just think we would have been friends as kids, like just having the same interest and vibe. And to me that's what makes the blog world and internet worthwhile...good people all over the world. Cheers my friend! Amanda Gorman could join our club too....
DeleteI hope some day we CAN meet up for coffee, either in Texas or PA! And if by chance Amanda can pop over for sometime, that would be absolutely perfect. :)
DeleteThe blogworld has made a huge difference to my life, far beyond the poetry/writing that I put up here. It's connected me to like minded people who, as you said, I seem to have known from some other birth. I truly treasure that!