Atrial Fibrillation

Posted by Dave Bonta on December 16, 2008 (last modified at 8:41 pm, 3/27/09)
This entry is part 7 of 17 in the series Ridge and Valley: an exchange of poems

Dear Dave,

Yesterday was the dull gray of a river stone.
This morning snow covers our neighbor’s roof,
sky the color of an indigo bunting’s cap.
Fresh from sleep we reach back for summer’s green,
fecund and ridiculous. At our feeder a blue jay
cracks open a seed to warm itself on the fire burning
in the hull. To the west fields are bare and my mother
wears a heart monitor. She rises slowly from bed
to bathe, hope against hope that her heart won’t flutter
like the wings of a sparrow, the furious beating
of a finch as it tries to bring the body into balance,
an agreement with the wind, the rhythm
of the blessedly invisible air.

—Todd Davis

 

mixed-species flock of winter birds in raspberry canes

 


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6 Responses to Atrial Fibrillation

  1. ..deb says:
    December 17, 2008 at 12:27 am

    Deep sigh.

    Reply
  2. Rachel says:
    December 17, 2008 at 8:51 am

    Gorgeous. I love the fire burning in the hull, and those last lines…!

    Reply
  3. Jean says:
    December 17, 2008 at 8:58 am

    Deeply satisfying photo.

    Reply
  4. Jo says:
    December 17, 2008 at 12:22 pm

    The last two lines are beautiful, Todd. I hope all goes okay.

    Reply
  5. Todd Davis says:
    December 17, 2008 at 8:49 pm

    Thanks for the kind words. I’m always amazed by Dave’s good will to post a poem of mine and the kindness of those who visit his blog.

    This poem does come out of the present and out of the “real” life I live and my mother lives.

    The good news is that my mom had a heart cath yesterday, and the doctors found a healthy heart with no blockage.

    In addition, she hasn’t had any racing/fluttering episodes with her heart for two weeks. So we’ll wait and see what the doctor wishes to do with the A-fib.

    Peace,

    Todd

    Reply
  6. Dave says:
    December 17, 2008 at 9:08 pm

    Todd, that’s terrific news! You must be relieved.

    I’m grateful that you’re willing to keep exchanging poems like this and share the results with Via Negativa’s readers. I mean, it would be even more awesome if you had your own blog and we could link back and forth, but I know what a Luddite you are. And besides, I enjoy getting a day off once in a while. :)

    Reply

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