(with lines from Anne Carson)
How much can you prepare for a final, unyielding fate?
Anne Carson writes, Have you given much thought to our mortal
condition?/ Probably not. Then in the same breath she proclaims,
Have a drink! But don’t forget Aphrodite.../ You can let the rest
go. Meaning, don't use up all your anticipatory grieving before
you’ve at least had coffee, or a breakfast of fried rice and egg,
whatever helps to start your day. And say yes when the university
gallery asks if there are any who would like loaner art to hang
on their office walls. Go over there, look through their vaults,
and when they say you can pick more than one artwork,
decide on the basis of color, boldness, or feel. Which, actually,
can mean more than size. Take the tardigrade: it needs only
a drop of water to survive. It’s virtually indestructible. Even
the smallest or most quiet thing can stop you in your tracks.
Purveyors of fine poetry since 2003.
