Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Touchpoint

Emerald E.
is tall like a streetlight
on the corner
with squinted eyes
he looks at you
as if
he could take on
the toughest
guys on the block
his pride
wide as all his
thirteen years
hugging thin ankles

but there he is
slouched at a desk
reading the diary
of a girl on the
Oregon Trail
whose grandfather's
dead body
washed down
the Mississippi

the lost fathers
and grandfathers
reaching across the prairie
across the century
piercing through time
to whisper their message

You are not alone.

7 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh, I like your description of Emerald E. as "tall like a streetlight". And I could just see his tall frame slouching in his desk, reading such a book. I once had a TERRIFIC English teacher by the name of Mr.Groves who told our class with a smile that he had noticed a younger student was skipping his Engish class so he went out looking for the student. He found him hiding in a corner of the library reading Pride and Prejudice. Mr.Groves didn't say a thing and just tiptoed out of sight. I always thought he was a cool teacher.

11:04 PM  
Blogger Girlplustwo said...

that is really beautiful, e. made me sad, made me want to be outside..made me want to learn a bit more.

1:05 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

That was beautiful!! We should link to each other.

1:08 PM  
Blogger mareymercy said...

I, too, love the streetlight description. Really perfect.

5:00 PM  
Blogger Kathleen said...

sigh.
girl.
you always
hit
it
right
on
the
head.

that was so beautifully and thoughtfully written.

9:59 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is so lovely.

Do you send out your poems for publication? I hope so.

9:46 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

em.
this poem gave me chills. right down my spine. my legs are still feeling the tingle.

2:28 PM  

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