Ted Kooser said, "The great American poet William Carlos Williams taught us that if a poem can capture a moment in life, and bathe it in the light of the poet's close attention, and make it feel fresh and new, that's enough, that's adequate, that's good." In writing group, I took a moment in my life and tried to pay close attention, to make it feel fresh and new.
As I came into the kitchen that morning,
I was drawn by the wonderful aroma of coffee.
And I heard the gurgle of the old percolator,
In its usual place.
At my house I'd long since switched to a more modern coffeemaker,
Which made pretty good coffee,
But not as good as this.
My dad knew his coffee, and kept it going all through the day.
These were the happy times for me,
Both of us sitting in comfort at the table,
Sometimes speaking, sometimes in silence.
Just enjoying our time together.
My mom was off to her church activities,
But my dad and I moved out onto the porch.
We watched the squirrels chase each other,
And heard the cars drive by on the street.
We could sit together for hours,
Sharing the joy of being together.
Kindred spirits, he and I,
Just sittin' and rockin.'
Later, as I remembered these times,
I realized he may have suffered from depression--
Which I probably inherited from him,
But back then we didn't know about such things.
Back then, we just enjoyed the silence and the solitude,
All reflected in that picture of us together under the tree.
We looked so much alike,
And had the same expression as we gazed at the camera.
We moved far away so easily, Nick and I,
Never understanding the enormity of what we did.
"But what about the family?"
Constantly torn between the two men I loved most in all the world.
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Dot, this one provided a wonderful image for me of times spent with those we are closest to. It was the last stanza, about moving and never understanding the enormity of it that really grabbed me. Lately, as I enjoy my grandchildren who live two miles from me, I have thought of my own parents who lived in Arkansas while I in Connecticut, then Oklahoma, then Missouri as my children were born and grew up. Only lately have I begun to understand the enormity of it. Great poem, Dot!
ReplyDeleteThe Fielders never shared moments like you had with your dad. We were always ready to move on to something new without thinking of the consequences or who we may hurt in the process. Our objective was to get as far away as possible physically and emotionaly. Look at David in the Army and Phil traveling the world.
ReplyDeleteEven whem my dad and mother would visit,he would jump up a leave without notice. I thought that was normal.
Thanks to both of you for your comments. It was a wonderful opportunity to move to the Pacific NW, and I don't regret that part. I think it's looking at it from the perspective of age (my father's age now mine) that I see consequences of which I was oblivious at the time. Definitely different family cultures, as well as age factors.
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