Epistemology of Laundry by F. Douglas Brown

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend February 9, 2016   Epistemology of Laundry   F. Douglas Brown

this week’s last load of laundry has me stealing my son’s precious teenage time    I reenact the duty   of my father and what comes hammering back are trips with him    pushing his cart of dirties down   the street    his southern charm waving or shaking hands—: bus driver    mailman    neighbors get   countless invites to dinner or a Saturday bbq my father’s good morning darlin’ clanks & pings   as quarters spill into the bona fide grip of the present    my son’s hands show signs   he’s ready for the tedious work ahead as he storms through pile after pile    then his precision when offering   assistance to a stranger    this chore becomes a lesson for the two of us    this shared work turns and tumbles     neatly folds—: a fond memory            Copyright © 2016 F. Douglas Brown. Used with permission of the author. About This Poem   “‘Epistemology of Laundry’ is a response to poet Geffrey Davis’s series of epistemology poems in his book, Revising the Storm (the two of us have been working on a collaborative project where our poems are in conversation with one another regarding fatherhood). The poem seeks to pinpoint a moment when I think recollection is teaching me, but the reality is, the present offers the lesson. In other words, as a father, I am often full of fallacies: hand down the ‘old ways’; force ‘duty’ onto your children; yelling creates understanding. However, what I have come to know is that these ‘fallacies’ are always corrected by my children (in the poem’s case, my son) who allow me to be a fully realized parent.” —F. Douglas Brown   F. Douglas Brown is the author of Zero to Three (University of Georgia Press, 2014), recipient of the 2013 Cave Canem Poetry Prize. He teaches English and poetry at Loyola High School of Los Angeles, California.   Photo credit: Jesse Pniak   Poetry by Brown   Zero to Three (University of Georgia Press, 2014) "The Epistemology of Cheerios" by Geffrey Davis "Zero" by Dorothea Tanning "Counting Blessings" by Marilyn Nelson Poem-a-Day   Launched during National Poetry Month in 2006, Poem-a-Day features new and previously unpublished poems by contemporary poets on weekdays and classic poems on weekends. 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