Intruder

The morning flowered in
petals of cool air, serene sky,
bees thick in the honeysuckle,
the sun’s dance on the table,
on such a morning
my thoughts bathed in light,
coffee and toast dispatched
to their duty, hands
warm in their skin,
the sense of being alive
comfortable as a loose jacket,
who would have guessed
before I could close the windows
or lock the doors,
an immense sorrow would
curl round and round in me
like a bear in a barrel
and trample the petals
from the morning.

    Original Citation

    A Single Focus. Iowa City: Prairie Press. 1967. 65.

    Word Count
    89
    Original Publication
    Date Published
    1967
    Book Appearance
    Complete Poems
    172
    Theme(s)
    First Line
    The morning flowered in
    Poetic Form
    open