I did a nice revision to the end of this poem. I really should just save it to send out for publication, but what the hell. nobody reads this blog anyway. enjoy.
Raking Leaves
For Carrie Hilliker, killed 11/09/2007
song in my head.
won’t quit as I work
my way slowly across
the yard.
These leaves are the color
of the Earth.
Brown and red like the
hem of your dress.
All summer long I sat
beneath this canopy
and drank spring wine
with the pretty girls.
But now, the tenth of November
it has fallen
to me to rake up
these broken pieces
The rake. The crunch of leaves
the song in my head.
Late afternoon. I’ve raked them
into a cairn.
I am sifting through these pieces
and looking for what?
The curve of your waist?
the hem of your dress?
Hi. This is Carrie’s sister. I just happened to go by and find this. Thank you. This was really nice. I think she would have liked it.