Poetry Friday--Another One Bites the Dust

The local used book superstore lost their lease and had to vacate their site. I'm sad it's gone. It was a wonderful resource for my daughter who teaches elementary school, and, it was always a source of used poetry collections for me.

On my last visit, I walked out with a dozen books. One of them is Amplitude: New and Selected Poems by Tess Gallagher. This poem will be a nice way to slide into April, and National Poetry Month.

Refusing Silence

Heartbeat trembling
your kingdom
of leaves
near the ceremony
of water, I never
insisted on you. I admit
I delayed. I was the Empress
of Delay. But it can’t be
put off now. On the sacred branch
of my only voice--I insist.
Insist for us all,
which is the job
of the voice, and especially
of the poet. Else
what am I for, what use
am I if I don’t
insist?
There are messages to send.
Gatherings and songs.
Because we need
to insist. Else what are we
for? What use
are we?

Don't delay further, if you're planning anything special for National Poetry Month, let us know! I'll be posting an ekphrastic poem (a poem about a work of art) on the four Mondays in April. See you on Monday!

Mary Lee at A Year of Reading will be leading us through the Round-Up today!