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Natasha Trethewey is another poet Ted Kooser recommended in the workshop I attended. This poem is taken from her collection entitled Native Guard.
Graveyard Blues
It rained the whole time we were laying her down;
Rained from church to grave when we put her down,
The suck of mud at our feet was a hollow sound.
When the preacher called out I held up my hand;
When he called for a witness I raised my hand -
Death stops the body's work, the soul's a journeyman.
The sun came out when I turned to walk away,
Glared down on me as I turned and walked away -
My back to my mother, leaving her where she lay.
The road going home was pocked with holes,
That home-going road's always full of holes;
Though we slow down, time's wheel still rolls.
I wander now among names of the dead:
My mother's name, stone pillow for my head.
It rained the whole time we were laying her down;
Rained from church to grave when we put her down,
The suck of mud at our feet was a hollow sound.
When the preacher called out I held up my hand;
When he called for a witness I raised my hand -
Death stops the body's work, the soul's a journeyman.
The sun came out when I turned to walk away,
Glared down on me as I turned and walked away -
My back to my mother, leaving her where she lay.
The road going home was pocked with holes,
That home-going road's always full of holes;
Though we slow down, time's wheel still rolls.
I wander now among names of the dead:
My mother's name, stone pillow for my head.
7 comments:
Wow. Just wow. You always have the best poems that just leave me amazed.
Though I have to say I did think of Dr. Suess with the line "That home-going road's always full of holes."
This was wonderful. You really got your money's worth from that workshop!!!
What a wonderful workshop to attend. A great poem, it truly brought a tear to my eye. Jenners sums it up nicely - WOW.
The soul really is a journeyman. When we're done sojourning, though, we get to go home.
Interesting poem. It rings with my own thoughts.
I love this poem, especially the last stanza. I thought of my mother-in-law's funeral. It rained all day and was SO depressing on so many levels. Thanks for sharing this. Blessings!
I agree with the just totally WOW! I love this! It embodies so much emotional weight. The heaviness carries through the stanzas, and yet, there is also a cushion of lightness beneath the words.
I have to have more of of work!
Hi Kelly - Excellent choice. I read Native Guard several months ago and was VERY impressed. It's a slim book, but not at all slight, just so so good, very intelligent -- and with some slant rhyme, if I remember correctly, and I hadn't seen that in a while! :-)
Thanks for stopping by my FreeVerse post and commenting, as it led me back here to look about and say hello! I'll try to check out more of your FreeVerse posts & whatever else catches my eye. Cheers!
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