The Shoots by Shane McCrae

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend April 23, 2015   The Shoots   Shane McCrae

Nicholas turned     eleven two   Months he ago a he ago   I after him a-running still   But quietly and far away   For the first time turned     far away   Without me or     without that day   Me seeing him on all the bright-   ness gone     the day     the snow had gone   Completely gone     as we have gone   Who were the worlds we walked     far down   Into our lives without each oth-   er as     snow into earth as water   Goes into earth     and as the water   Touches the roots the dry roots wait for   A signal from the sun and air   And do not green the shoots     and what   The water thought it was and what   I thought I was we learn we’re not we’re   Life but not always life and not   Forever     he grows without his father            Copyright © 2015 by Shane McCrae. Used with permission of the author. About This Poem   “Recently, my son moved to Texas with his mother. His most recent birthday was the first birthday we’ve spent apart.” —Shane McCrae   Shane McCrae is the author of Forgiveness Forgiveness (Factory Hollow Press, 2014). He teaches at Oberlin College and lives in Oberlin, Ohio. Most Recent Book by McCrae   Forgiveness Forgiveness (Factory Hollow Press, 2014) "The Epistemology of Cheerios" by Geffrey Davis "Recognitions" by Rachel Hadas "Goodnight Moon" by James Arthur Read This Poem   For National Poetry Month, we’ve teamed up with 826 National to produce Read This Poem, a celebration of poets in cities with 826 chapters. Read this week’s featured poems by poets from Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem in Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit Poets.org.   You are receiving this e-mail because you elected to subscribe to our mailing list. If you would like to unsubscribe, please click here.   © Academy of American Poets 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038