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Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Poem-A-Day: Carl Dennis, Change

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Academy of American Poets

August 29, 2012

Today's poem is copyright © 2012 by Carl Dennis. Used with permission of the author.

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    Change
    by Carl Dennis

    Just yesterday my poem lamenting the power
    Of time to sweep away all trace of the beautiful
    Seemed done at last, but the light this morning
    Shows it to be a sketch, evidence that my vision
    Cleared as I slumbered, that my sense of beauty
    Grows in the night like corn or bamboo.

    Maybe a poem in praise of time
    Ought to be next on my agenda,
    The time required for seeds to open,
    For leaves to push out on tender stems.

    Yesterday, the teacher didn't believe the excuse
    Her student offered for missing his appointment—
    A tire gone flat on the Thruway—but today
    His story seems almost convincing,
    Suggesting how quickly the bruise to her ego
    Has begun to heal, the first small step
    From the tiresome realm of insult and umbrage.

    Yesterday the lover couldn't commit himself.
    Today he wants to write his beloved
    A check for a million dollars,
    Though the time hasn't come, he admits,
    For her to cash it.
    Meanwhile, though he has nothing,
    Whatever he has is hers.

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