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Calendar's Mischief

Text of Poem

A day of shock,
sharp sense of loss
in the withered berry,
shrunken vine and grass
stiff with frost.
Now fireweed blooms,
pebbles gleam in creeks,
the trees astound me,
I have not worn such color
even in my thoughts.
The slant sun blazes
on a window, green bleeds
from the garden stems,
clouds peer from the horizon
as wind wraps the house
and moans down the chimney.
And I see, with limited view,
how a man on his threshold
feels betrayed by mischief
in his calendar.

First Line
A day of shock,
Original Pub Location
Original Publication Date
1977
Original Citation
America (24 Sept. 1977) 16.
Complete Poems
320
Hearst Collections
Word Count
87
Poetic Form
open
Themes
Twitter Quote
And I see, with limited view, / how a man on his threshold / feels betrayed by mischief / ​in his calendar.