Death Barged In by Kathleen Sheeder Bonanno In his Russian greatcoat slamming open the door with an unpardonable bang, and he has been here ever since. He changes everything, rearranges the furniture, his hand hovers by the phone; he will answer now, he says; he will be the answer. Tonight he sits […]
MoreGrass by Carl Sandburg Pile the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo. Shovel them under and let me work— I am the grass; I cover all. And pile them high at Gettysburg And pile them high at Ypres and Verdun. Shovel them under and let me work. Two years, ten years, and […]
MoreDisposal by W.d. Snodgrass The unworn long gown, meant for dances She would have scarcely dared attend, Is fobbed off on a friend— Who can’t help wondering if it’s spoiled But thinks, well, she can take her chances. We roll her spoons up like old plans Or failed securities, seal their case, […]
MoreI went to my favorite cemetery (doesn’t everyone have one?), a hilly retreat in northern Michigan, and there I left a handful of death-related poems. I’ll feature them one by one, beginning with Theodore Roethke’s “Elegy for Jane. I leaned the poem against a stone arm, nestled in some stone greenery. Elegy for Jane […]
MoreSudden by Nick Flynn If it had been a heart attack, the newspaper might have used the word massive, as if a mountain range had opened inside her, but instead it used the word suddenly, a light coming on in an empty room. The telephone fell from my shoulder, a […]
MoreForgive the unpolished copies of these poems and quotes, the yellow notepaper, the terrible handwriting, though I did try my best. This is what happens when Poem Elf has an idea but no printer, no scotch tape and no finesse with a pen. My idea was to honor two people who are gone […]
MoreWaiting At The Window by A. A. Milne These are my two drops of rain Waiting on the window-pane. I am waiting here to see Which the winning one will be. Both of them have different names. One is John and one is James. All the best and all the […]
MorePrivacy by C.D. Wright The animals are leaving the safety of the trees Light sensors respond to the footfall of every guest To retard the growth of algae The fishes must be moved from the window Stiller than water she lies As in a glass dress As if […]
MoreHere’s the thing about my small folder of poems about death. Having more than one poem about death is like getting a bag of zucchini from your neighbor—you don’t know what to do with an overload. (I’m just realizing this very second that owning, not to mention labeling, a small folder of poems about death is […]
More[Sonnets are full of love, and this my tome] by Christina Rossetti Sonnets are full of love, and this my tome Has many sonnets: so here now shall be One sonnet more, a love sonnet, from me To her whose heart is my heart’s quiet home, To my first Love, my Mother, on whose knee […]
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