Strands
Strands
~After Jean Valentine
I think it’s about time we went fishing,
he said when the quicksand
of life inched up to her Adam’s apple
divorce is a dry canyon of one
winged birds
***
Gramps loved her all-out
Not many have what she had
Does he have a rub-off factor?
I think about him every day,
every hour, she said after he closed
his 95-year-old eyes and floated
away
***
the only soul I’ve cherished
thoroughly
singing to tadpoles
red salamanders darting
child-splash in the small green pond
torn knees of his denims
I mended with thick strands
raven, sunflower yellow
9 thoughts on "Strands"
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This is very emotionally charged. I adored it thoroughly. The line: divorce is a dry canyon of one winged birds, did not leave me dry.
This is beautiful
Beautiful, beautiful poem with lots of great lines and images. Excellent!
I’m partial to gramps
The line breaks and the quotes are a great technique here. You pieced together a little blanket of repair here.
Strands, sure, and yet more linear than many of your poems. A strand of its own, maybe. Beautiful & stricken.
A rare relationship of pure acceptance and love. The loss of it is palpable, and un-mended in this exquisite poem.
I see your love in the fine details of the poem
Every. Word.
But “ divorce is a dry canyon of one
winged birds” should be a chapbook title.