Heavy Summer Rain
Jane Kenyon
The grasses in the field have toppled,
and in places it seems that a large, now
absent, animal must have passed the night.
The hay will right itself if the day
turns dry. I miss you steadily, painfully.
None of your blustering entrances
or exits, doors swinging wildly
on their hinges, or your huge unconscious
sighs when you read something sad,
like Henry Adams’s letters from Japan,
where he traveled after Clover died.
Everything blooming bows down in the rain:
white irises, red peonies; and the poppies
with their black and secret centers
lie shattered on the lawn."I miss you steadily, painfully." For some reason there don't seem to be many poems about missing people, but the older I get, the more it seems to be the dominant emotion I experience, as life devolves into a series of goodbyes, sad announcements, and sorrow. Time to go cheer up now as today I receive all my students' final writing pieces! Enjoy everyone else's Poetry Friday offerings here!
7 comments:
I love the work of Jane Kenyon. This is beautiful. I couldn’t agree more with your observation on the stage of life with lots of good-byes and sorrows and all too soon.
I'm caught by "everything blooming bows in the rain"
What a lovely and special thought.
There are many good byes...its OK to feel them. I wish you one really great hello too.
I love Jane Kenyon as well. I remember a poignant Ted Kooser poem about missing someone. I'll have to see if I can find it.
It is a bittersweet time when goodbyes override the hellos, and this Kenyon poem feels like that, even in the title. Wishing you a wonderful time these last days with the students. I remember it being a tough time in that saying goodbye. Now I am in contact with so many, all grown, some having had babies already! It serves as a nice bridge from goodbye.
Now I feel like I should look up Henry Adams' letters from Japan.
Wishing you happy announcements and surprise hellos. xo
Your poem is so poignant. I find poetry offers solice and comfort during times of sadness and loss. I wasn't familiar with this poem, but it certainly resonated. Thanks for sharing.
Jane Keynon is a philosopher in poem form who is calling our best - such as your students - bright blooms to become drenched by the ache of loss. My Mother used to say (usually when a pet died) that we can't enjoy the delights of our World, if they continued without the rough, even tragic interruption. Of course a child doesn't ever feel that way.
But there are too many times when the passings/partings dominate in a way to make it nearly impossible to think they won't always be the norm.
I hope your fond farewells linger more on the fond side of things, rather than the finis. aspect.
This is a bittersweet & needed poem, to share - thank you.
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