ou, Reader
by Billy Collins, poet and Poet Laureate of US 2001-2003
author of seven collections of poetry, including this volume -
The Trouble with Poetry and Other Poems.
I wonder how you are going to feel
when you find out
that I wrote this instead of you,
that it was I who got up early
to sit in the kitchen
and mention with a pen
the rain-soaked windows,
the ivy wallpaper,
and the goldfish circling in its bowl.
Go ahead and turn aside,
bite your lip and tear out the page,
but, listen---it was just a matter of time
before one of us happened
to notice the unlit candles
and the clock humming on the wall.
Plus, nothing happened that morning---
a song on the radio,
a car whistling along the road outside---
and I was only thinking
about the shakers of salt and pepper
that were standing side by side on a place mat.
I wondered if they had become friends
after all these years
or if they were still strangers to one another
like you and I
who manage to be known and unknown
to each other at the same time---
me at this table with a bowl of pears,
you leaning in a doorway somewhere
near some blue hydrangeas, reading this.
Shady's note: Actually, I'm sitting at the computer and you may be enjoying your hydrangea... is it blue? Or is it like this below... my 'Pinky Winky' in its second year?
I know, I know.
I understand that the name is slightly silly... but the plant is not. :-)
Now visit Carolyn at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago. She began this muse. Aren't you glad?
Have a great day!
I like this poem and the images are fantastic~Your hydrangea is quite fine, too! gail
ReplyDeleteShady love the poem. My hydrangea is pink also tho not as cute a name as yours.
ReplyDeleteGreat poem, Shady. Love Hydrangeas this time of year when they start changing to bronze and pink. My limelight is still spectacular.
ReplyDeleteVery nice poem Shady. Now hydrageas is another story for me...so I won't go there. :)
ReplyDeleteOf all the shrubs I have
ReplyDeleteAnd I have triple digits
Hydrangea is one
I have not.
Hi Gail, Thanks! ;-)
ReplyDeleteRosemary, I NEVER thought I'd have hydrangea, but I prefer some of the "different" types. What is yours?
Carolyn, I'll check out your blog for 'Limelight.' :-)
Troutbirder... have you seen Oak Leaf Hydrangeas? The leaves are Very Distinctive!
Hi Monica, I'd never had hydrangea, I thought I'd never want one... but I can tell you now, I've changed my tune a little. (Sorry, I thought I could do a little rhyme, but it didn't work out!) lol
Funny, but I just went outside--in my old blue bathrobe--to check my hydrangeas, which badly need watering. I once asked a salesperson at the local garden center if they had 'Pinky Winky,' and they looked at me strangely. It's a beautiful hydrangea, although I wound up getting the very similar 'Pink Diamond' this summer instead.
ReplyDeleteGreat poem!
Great poem, Shady, and lovely 'Pinky Winky'. I adore hydrangeas, all of which from beginning to now have been awesome this season. Happy October :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful and moving poem Shady, thanks for posting it. Your pictures are lovely, I really like Pinky Winky but I have a rule that excludes plants with silly names!! Helps keep the numbers down.
ReplyDeleteGreat poem Shady, I really enjoyed it - thank you.
ReplyDeleteMy hydrangeas are all blues and purples because we've got acidic soil. I did plant a pink one, but it turned blue within a couple of years!
Rose, I (ME) also have an old blue bathrobe! ;-) So far, most of my neighbors have been spared the sight, but who knows what lurks within my shady mind! ha!! (At least, maybe Susie-Scare-the-Birds might show herself in it someday?)
ReplyDeleteJoey, I recently saw a beautiful oak-leafed hydrangea. It's VERY appealing!
Rebecca, I understand. I have to laugh because I'll NEVER forget its name! ;-)
Liz, I wonder what would happen with this variety (or other cultivar-specific varieties) at your house? I haven't seen it change colors in any of the literature...