“I have to tell you” & other poems

I have been prowling the streets of Poetry Foundation late at night, identifying victims. You could see this as an easy way out for a severe case of blogger’s block if you wish. But sometimes, brevity is gold, and Ms. Grossman masters it like a badass patron goddess.

 

I have to tell you by Dorothea Grossman

I have to tell you,

there are times when

the sun strikes me

like a gong,

and I remember everything,

even your ears.

It is not so much that I miss you by Dorothea Grossman

It is not so much that I miss you

as the remembering

which I suppose is a form of missing

except more positive,

like the time of the blackout

when fear was my first response

followed by love of the dark.

 

I knew something was wrong by Dorothea Grossman

I knew something was wrong

the day I tried to pick up a

small piece of sunlight

and it slithered through my fingers,

not wanting to take shape.

Everything else stayed the same—

the chairs and the carpet

and all the corners

where the waiting continued.

7 thoughts on ““I have to tell you” & other poems

  1. BigLittleWolf

    There’s something very “clean” about these poems that makes them evocative and gem-like. A picture, but with no muss no fuss.

    (Despite my occasional voracious vagabond versing, I do love truly beautiful poetry… that doesn’t require a PhD.)
    BigLittleWolf recently posted…Movie NightMy Profile

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    1. Absence Alternatives Post author

      lol. i agree. I have had Paradise Lost on my Kindle for a while though, thinking that I’d like to read it again. I have not been able to go past the first verse. My brains must have worked better when I was in college…

      Reply
  2. Naptimewriting

    That third poem is really haunting.

    Do me a favor and keep trolling and posting highlights. I have no patience for poetry in large doses, nor for the schlock most poets write, but I admire one or two poems selected by someone with good taste.

    I’ll subscribe to your poetry feed as soon as you give me the link…
    Naptimewriting recently posted…Plan of AttackMy Profile

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    1. absence of alternatives

      I am with you N. I have no patience usually for long ass poems or dribble or melancholy for melancholy’s sake. “Oh look at me, I am so sad because I am a sensitive soul.” (Yes, I am aware of the irony of this coming from someone who just wrote about crying over books while sitting on a packed plane. I never said I am not one of the schmocks I can’t stand! Anyway, I digress…

      Cough cough.

      Yes, I too enjoy poems that are succinct with an one, two punch, straight to the gut and leave you dizzy for days after you read and reread them.

      I actually did not post ALL of the gems I found that night. (Someone did not go to bed till 4 in the morning…) I will post more. 🙂
      absence of alternatives recently posted…“I have to tell you” & other poemsMy Profile

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  3. Punky Coletta

    I love the juxtaposition of something so magical like touching sunshine with ordinary things like chairs and carpet. Because, isn’t that life? The everyday, and the magical, and the yearning to grasp that magical.
    Punky Coletta recently posted…Hey, Free Stuff!My Profile

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