Ripples in the Moment

Republished from Grant Snider at Incidental Comics under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.

I love Grant Snider's work (Incidental Comics). He brings lightness, a sense of joy to his observations on life. This recent comic of his brought to mind a poem I wrote some time ago.

I can get too angsty when I write, too caught up in whatever my latest worries and woes are. Or I can dredge up pieces of my past (now covered in river muck) I'd rather forget. In this poem, though, I found joy. I'm grateful to be reminded me of that glorious, perfect day with my husband.

Canoeing on Saturday
I want to wear this day
raindrop rings on pale olive water
circle upon circle
spreading, joining, fading

I want to wear
fuzzy, waddling gold-brown goslings
silver trout breaking the surface
yellow warbler--an egg yolk in flight
slicked umber otter swimming
within an oar's-length

"Three yards of this fabric, please."
The clerk grasps the bolt by its clouds
water splashes against her fingers
ducks scatter before her scissors
geese honk in the crisp paper bag

I spread the lake on a table in a sunny room
pin brown tissue pattern to shoreline
run shears down grassy sleeves
roll tracing wheel along the darts that slip
between willows and snags
match front side to front, set a ⅝" seam
I sew a sheath of rain
​
At the party, the hostess takes my hand
"That dress is beautiful" she says
"Oh this? I smile.
"I'll have it forever"

First published in Blood, Water, Wind, and Stone, Sastrugi Press, 2016

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