Friday, June 05, 2020

Poetry Friday: And Now for Something Completely Different

What an awful week it's been. What an awful year it's been. I have been posting a lot, here and on social media, about the generalized badness. And today for Poetry Friday, I just have to do something different. Go read my other posts if you want to know that I do, I really do, take everything that's going on seriously. So seriously that I can hardly bear it.

A friend evacuated to the US and left me some stuff, and included in that stuff was a magnetic poetry set. My son and I have been enjoying it very much. Again, we know about real haiku. And we take it seriously. Don't get mad at us for writing nonsense.

And at the end, I'll post a love poem for my husband, which will be marginally more serious.

You might try guessing which ones are mine and which ones are by my 17-year-old? And I'm betting you'll be wrong a lot of the time.

Here's my love poem for my husband. Or his for me? Can't tell sometimes.


Dream

My husband tells me that he had a dream about me.
We were sitting on opposite sides of the living room
and he was writing a poem.
But when he started to share it with me,
It was gone.

He woke up.

“It was kind of a nightmare,” he says.

The poem was about how wonderful I am;
that, he remembers.
A few hours later he says,
“It had that day in it,
the day we were watching ‘Daisy Miller’
and I noticed your hip
and I thought I wanted to marry you.”

No matter how much he tries to regain it,
that poem is gone,
just like that afternoon in 1987.

But the hip,
that’s still there.

At least for now.

Ruth, from thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com

Margaret has today's roundup.

10 comments:

Linda B said...

It's the kind of love I wish everyone would have, Ruth, serious love with a large sense of humor! I love the magnetic poems, especially laughed about those mile men! Maybe time for me to dig out my own magnetic words. Yes, it is bad, but no, we should not stop being silly sometimes.

KatApel - katswhiskers.wordpress.com said...

I love that you are sharing haiku with your son - be it literary or humorous. I don't know who wrote it, but I loved that tiny gorgeous rock. And your poem to/from your husband had a lovely light touch of love, life and laughter. I also hear your loneliness/frustration/despair in confinement. This year really has been sent to test us. Hoping you find a gorgeous pink rock to brighten your week.

Amy said...

Love the magnetic poetry! What fun that your son does poems, too!

jama said...

Thanks for this much needed respite from the madness of the world. Glad you and your son are having fun with magnetic haiku, and your love poem is so endearing. :)

Michelle Heidenrich Barnes said...

I love that you share poetry and an excellent sense of humor with both your husband and your son! We need more levity these days—that's for sure. For some reason, I especially related to "mothering woman". ;)

Linda Mitchell said...

Do you know I made my own magnetic poetry set? It's at school of course for kids to play with. But, it's super fun. I'm so glad you are enjoying a set. The poem about your husband made me laugh. I love that last line. I know you are serious about what's going on...and boy, oh boy do we NEED some relief this year.

michelle kogan said...

We need silliness in the midsts of all this chaos because it seems to never end… thanks for all you have given, and there are some pretty serious ones in there too like "the enormous boy." And I like the "thousand milk men, mothering woman," and your sweet love poem too. I may have to find or make one of those magnetic poem sets… thanks Ruth!

Mary Lee said...

Of COURSE you are allowed silliness and true love in the midst of All This. How else will we be able to move forward and do the work for our world?

laurasalas said...

Wow, those magnetic poems really bring the visceral out, don't they? And I love your love poem. It feels so...real, and so reassuring. Thank you, Ruth!

Margaret Simon said...

Some people are doing jigsaw puzzles. I think magnetic poetry is better. I have a few sets in my classroom. I love how the word choices force a surprising thought. Your love poem is so specific that it becomes universal. Thanks for sharing.