Wednesday, August 6, 2014

  
   "I love the way the light falls over the suburbs
Late on these summer evenings, as the buried minds
Stir in their graves, the hearts swell in the warm earth
And the soul settles from the air into its human home.
This is where the prodigal began, and now his day is ending
In a great dream of contentment, where all night long
The children sleep within tomorrow’s peaceful arms
And the past is still,"


from  In The Park
by John Koethe

Walking the dogs thru the neighborhood or cutting
roses in the garden in the summer reminds me of
childhood summers with their green lawns, gentle
breezes and almost endless twilight. 

The passages in these poems spoke to those feelings and if
Koethe later changes the mood of his poem with the
habitual, pessimistic, qualifications I find frustrating in
his work, for me the (lovely) damage was already done
and I chose to focus on the evening light, the stillness and
the children asleep in tomorrow's peaceful arms.

the Garden






the Pond





As someone nearing 60 who still has my childhood
copy of Black Beauty. how could I not include this stanza
from Stafford's poem.



"Animals that knew the way to Heaven
wagged at the back doors of every house
when I was young, and horses told fences
the story of Black Beauty, and smelled of the good manger."

from When I Was Young
by William Stafford

 

2 comments:

Kathie Brown said...

I love this one, Guy, especially that last passage. I, too, have at least one copy of Black Beauty! How that book broke my heart and taught me compassion!

Guy said...

Hi Kathie

I am glad you liked the quotes.

All the best
Guy