Theme:
Spring
1. Bespoke--By Michelle O’Sullivan
Early April and there's a light-footed feel.
Nothing troubles from the darkened underbrush,
and the sun's late beauty daubs
the green wood with yellows.
As if for you, a thrush rills, blue pieces of silver
that will dry like watermarks. Almost delicate,
the hour around seven, a blown-glass bowl,
edgeless and honed, made bespoke.
Yet somewhere inside this evening hour,
a man refutes: his fist
will not burden the kitchen table.
A wintered heart, hard as a knot of holly.
2. Rock Me, Mercy---By Yusef Komunyakaa
The river stones are listening
because we have something to say.
The trees lean closer today.
The singing in the electrical woods
has gone dumb. It looks like rain
because it is too warm to snow.
Guardian angels, wherever you're hiding,
we know you can't be everywhere at once.
Have you corralled all the pretty wild
horses? The memory of ants asleep
in daylilies, roses, holly,& larkspur.
The magpies gaze at us, still
waiting. River stones are listening.
But all we can say now is,
Mercy, please, rock me.
