What Cannot Eat

[ With thanks, too, to Nic S. and Dave Bonta for this… ]

How long does hunger hold? Or joy
forestalled? I know that hunger climbs

the trunk of the tree, persistent at its task.
If only each open cup, each well

of blossom had drink enough to douse
that flame— If only the moth that scrolled

its richly tattered cape across
the bark had a mouth; if only its four

half-moons were radiant feast,
enough to settle my restless songs.

 

In response to an entry from the Morning Porch.

4 Replies to “What Cannot Eat”

  1. “scrolled//its richly tattered cape” is really fine. Glad someone follows my Wikipedia links! Posting a couple things to the Smorgasblog, I noticed you seemed to have paused in the middle of drafting a poem (I didn’t peek!) and I wondered why.

  2. The pausing seems to have been happening more of late, too, because my kids are home now mostly in the summer :P More distractions. I also multi-task something piteous sometimes (cooking, laundry, etc.) … But tonight, that beautiful little video was *the* distraction.

  3. Yes, distractions galore are summer–children and sleepovers (with the hungry) and ferryings and people asking for “a favor.”

    I like what Dave likes particularly!

    Hope we both nab some writing and reading time today amid the mayhem.

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