These places where we walk
Hand in hand
These cemeteries where according to code
The generations are gathered together
For the afterlife you do not believe in
These gray places among the butterfly weed,
Touch-me-nots of our solemn sequestrations
Where I tell you I believe
In your brown eyes stark black hair
And long arms slender silver-ringed fingers.
You dramatic
In this pale blue light
Among birds of day
That roost uneasy at your step,
Spurts of flutter
In the crisp dead cedars,
You stunning
In the moonlight where you tell me
Among kneeling lambs, glinted angel wings
That we may someday discover
How to love
By learning from ghosts.
I found this author, David Tillinghast, and this book of poetry, in particular, Women Hoping For Rain, and other poems. It was in the mid 90’s, maybe earlier. I was at a bookstore in Atlanta, on Pharr Road, called Oxford Books. It shaped in the form of a circle, or an octagon, something like that. I was rather happy among the stacks of books, comics, albums, and such. It had an amazing poetry section, and me, having written bloody awful poetry for years, was entranced with beautiful, evocative poetry, words dripping with desire, need, want, destitute, or joyful, ecstatic, loud, protective - anything that made me feel. I loved to be in my feels back then, and beauty still moves me to tears quite easily. Words strung together really get me. I am so thankful that my brain is wired for poetry. It is the most beautiful of all writing, I think. I love writing that drips of poetry.
I found this book, signed, for 4$. I read it back to front in Oxford Books, in a corner, crying softly to myself. AHHHH, beauty!! It isn’t worth much on the market, but it means everything to me, and I wouldn’t sell it for a grip. I read this book all the time, as well as his other works of poetry. I use this book every April (National Poetry Month in the USA), and throughout the year. Anyway, I urge you, dear friends, to try to find a way to read this work. I will be posting more from this book specifically!! I hope you enjoy this poem as much as I do! A bientot!
