once, after church, i reached into my desk,
scrambled through papers,
and found a sticker for my daughter,
a crimson five-pointed star.
i don’t remember the reason:
had she been silent and still during hymns and prayers,
or was it a just-because?
on her way out, she dashed into the room across the hall
to see the long rope
hanging through a hole in the ceiling
which her father pulled, and somewhere,
too far away for her to fathom,
a bell clanged.
and in this glad reverberation
the sticker shook free from her hand,
fluttered to the floor,
and remained there, its five points curled upward,
light and lonely as the first autumn leaf.
day after day, oblivious feet walk over it,
so that it now lays prostrate on the ebony tile;
week after week, groups gather around it and pray:
little star, who made thee?
month after month, a hurried mop rushes across it,
until it is stuck fast—forever,
i imagine,
praying without ceasing,
world without end,
my fiery polaris.
4 Responses to “meditation room”
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Asides
» I have been remiss in posting SBJ’s latest stats: 23 pounds and 27 inches at six months. Yes, I’ve got the big mama biceps.
» Aaaaaand little she-who-is lost another tooth this week!
» SBJ is four months old, 19 pounds 5 ounces, and 26 inches tall. GIGANTOR!
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So. Been reading your poems lately and really enjoying them. It put me in the mood to read poetry, which is not something that happens very often. I went to the library. The only books of poetry they had were large anthologies and the Best Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onasis. Geeze!!!
Lovely, RM, as ever.
SR, some may disagree, but I’d say look for the Garrison Keillor edited anthologies, “Good Poems” and “Good Poems for Hard Times”. Wonderful stuff.
I agree with ChicagoRev. I think the ones Keillor chooses are accessible and thought-provoking.
Actually, the (free) thing to do is subscribe to the e-mail edition of the Writer’s Almanac! You get a new poem each day in your e-mail box, along with interesting trivia and literary tidbits. Information available here.
I also recently picked up An Invitation to Poetry edited by Robert Pinsky, former poet laureate. It has a lot of old stodgy stuff in it but the poems were chosen by a neat cross-section of people as part of the “favorite poems” project. The book also includes a DVD with some of these folks reading their favorite poems. Haven’t watched it yet.
Did you know Pinksy has a new book out (I think it’s Jewish heritage Series) on David? since we’re reading 1 & 2Samuel right now in women’s Bible Study, I’m enjoying it doubly! Thanks for the heads up about the email subscription - I’m not always by the radio at 6:30 a.m. when it comes on WETA.
Lovely poem…what a gift to be able to refine the ore of words into this gem!