A Gathering of Poetry: May 2023

It's the third Thursday of the month so I'd like to welcome you to A Gathering of Poetry. The poem I chose for today felt right as soon as I found it (or maybe it found me). 

Late Spring in the Mesilla Valley
Carrie Fountain

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Walking this morning,
I thought, What if I stop saying
the little no I’m always saying?
What if I drop it right here
in the middle of Rabb Road?
You know the guy down the street
who left his Christmas lights up
until after Easter? Well, did you see
all the odd little mirrors he hung
in the bushes alongside his house?
I keep thinking I’d like to be forced
into a conversation with yes.
It’s not enough to brace yourself;
eventually you must allow this world
to hit you in the face.
All night I’ve been getting whiffs
of some late-blooming honeysuckle.
Half of me says, Don’t breathe.
But only half.

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Fountain, Carrie. "Late Spring in the Mesilla Valley", Burn Lake. Penguin Books. 2010

You can read more about the poet here and here. 

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Thanks for reading and joining us for our monthly Gathering of Poetry. Be sure to visit Kym and Kat so you can gather more poetry and you can add your link below if you would like to share one of your favorite poems. The more the merrier!

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