10 Poems // July 10
there are not enough jam jars to can this summer sky at night
1//
There Are Mornings // by Lisel Mueller
Even now, when the plot
calls for me to turn to stone,
the sun intervenes. Some mornings
in summer I step outside
and the sky opens
and pours itself into me
as if I were a saint
about to die. But the plot
calls for me to live,
be ordinary, say nothing
to anyone. Inside the house
the mirrors burn when I pass.
2//
Early Blur // by Thomas Lux
occurs, I say to Mary, when we catch the outline
of something and think we know it
and then we fill in the parts we don’t see
with hope. I say this
to Mary, Mary of the late slant light of autumn,
Mary by the lake of wolverines,
Mary by the lake beneath which drowned a wall,
Mary of the first snow, I say to Mary,
I say: I am the river
and you are its blue, burning current.
3//
from There were real officers in the streets // by Deborah Landau
There are unmistakable signs of trouble,
but we have days and days still.
Let’s be giddy, maybe.
Time lights a little fire.
We are animal hungry
down to our intricate bones.
O beautiful habits of living,
let me dwell on you awhile.
4//
Checkout // by Caroline Bird
I think 'so, this is death' and wonder why
I can still see through my eyes. An angel
approaches with a feedback form asking
how I'd rate my life (very good, good,
average, bad, very bad) and I intend to tick
'average' followed by a rant then I recall
your face like a cartoon treasure chest
glowing with gold light, tick very good,
and in the comment box below I write
"nice job. The angel asks if I enjoyed
my stay and I say 'Oh yes, I'd definitely
come again' and he gives me a soft look
meaning that won't be possible but thanks
all the same,' clicks his pen and vanishes.
5//
Carry // by Billy Collins
I want to carry you
and for you to carry me
the way voices are said to carry over water.
Just this morning on the shore,
I could hear two people talking quietly
in a rowboat on the far side of the lake.
They were talking about fishing,
then one changed the subject,
and, I swear, they began talking about you.
6//
from Summer Haibun // by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
To everything, there is a season of parrots. Instead of feathers,
we searched the sky for meteors on our last night. Salaman-
ders use the stars to find their way home. Who knew they could
see that far, fix the tiny beads of their eyes on distant arrange-
ments of lights so as to return to wet and wild nests? Our heads
tilt up and up and we are careful to never look at each other.
...
And this is how I will always remember you when we are covered
up again: by the pale mica flecks on your shoulders. Some thrown
there from your own smile. Some from my own teeth. There are not
enough jam jars to can this summer sky at night. I want to spread
those little meteors on a hunk of still-warm bread this winter. Any
trace left on the knife will make a kitchen sink like that evening air
the cool night before
star showers: so sticky so
warm so full of light
7//
from Such is the Sickness // by Matthew Wiegel
Her face was an open window and my face was an open
window
and we were the same house and for a moment the sun
seemed to shine through us.
8//
Ode to Friendship // by Noor Hindi
The night so warm I could fall in love
with anything
including myself. My loves. You are the only people
I’d surrender my softness to.
The moon so blue. And yes, what’s gold
is gold. What’s real
is us despite
a country so grieved, so woke, so death.
Our gloom as loud as shells.
Listen. Even the ocean begs.
Put your hands in the sand, my friend.
It’s best we bury ourselves.
What’s heavy. What’s heavy?
Becomes light.
9//
Dedication Poem to Anne Sexton // by George Starbuck
To the one with her head out the window, drinking the rain.
To the one who said me a lullaby over the phone.
To the one who, divining love in this rocky terrain, has made it her own.
10//
new bones // by Lucille Clifton
we will wear
new bones again.
we will leave
these rainy days,
break out through
another mouth
into sun and honey time.
worlds buzz over us like bees,
we be splendid in new bones.
other people think they know
how long life is.
how strong life is.
we know.