…..
A Necessity
…..
She arranges flowers in a jade
vase, two lilies the color
of late autumn leaves, three
spider mums, their pale yellow
reminiscent of last night’s full moon.
Finally, she places carnations,
a burgundy hue inviting all to drink
in their dark beauty, throats
remembering the warmth
of aged wine.
….
Across the room, the radio spills
darkness, darkness like a night
river meandering here and there,
….
the membrane between her heart
and the insistent voice
so thin, she could drown
in its muddied water, but
….
holding one flower, then another…
each gesture, a gate defying the rising
flood, creating a small chapel
where the clink of a coin brings light
….
and breathe in that light
she must, before the dark
water of the news
surges through her veins.
…
This poem is from the book Loss and Invention by Ann Gengarelly (Finishing Line Press), and can be found at https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/loss-and-invention-by-ann-gengarelly/
Loss and Invention is a compelling journey of transformation. While the #poetry bears witness to the pain of #loss, both personal and universal, it equally uncovers resilience and solace in the natural world. With devoted attention to trees, the visitation from bears, wild turkeys, ravens…who reveal the Mysteries, the poems embody wisdom and offer signposts to discover light. As we travel with the words, we find ourselves at junctures where new languages must be invented, and we hear pleas for healing, both for the poet and for the beggar along the road; as well as Mother and Father. Finally, arriving at “a pond in dark forests,” we can now “trust what we see:” and welcome our “own reflections.”
Ann Gengarelly, since 1980, has been a poet-in-the schools throughout Southeastern Vermont and neighboring Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Ann is Director of The Poetry Studio at her home in Marlboro, Vermont, where she offers after-school and summer classes for students (ages 6-17). Since 2002, Ann has taught adult creative writing classes in The Studio as well.
Ann holds an MA degree from Goddard College in creativity and education with an emphasis on poetry-in-the schools. In 1988 she received an honorary Doctorate for Teaching Excellence from Marlboro College. For seven years Ann was a Faculty Associate at Hampshire College. She has been a consultant for the Integrated Day Program at the University of Massachusetts. With an emphasis on poetry she has designed and presented professional development workshops for teachers at Lesley University, Bank Street College and the Antioch, NE, Graduate School of Education.
She has published in numerous professional journals ranging from Teachers and Writers Magazine to The Elementary School Journal (University of Chicago Press). She is the co-author with her husband Tony of Another World: Poetry and Art by Young People from The Poetry Studio (Luminare press, 2021).
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