Login
|
Join PoetrySoup
Home
Submit Poems
Login
Sign Up
Member Home
My Poems
My Quotes
My Profile & Settings
My Inboxes
My Outboxes
Soup Mail
Contest Results/Status
Contests
Poems
Poets
Famous Poems
Famous Poets
Dictionary
Types of Poems
Quotes
Short Stories
Articles
Forum
Blogs
Poem of the Day
New Poems
Resources
Syllable Counter
Anthology
Grammar Check
Greeting Card Maker
Classifieds
Member Area
Member Home
My Profile and Settings
My Poems
My Quotes
My Short Stories
My Articles
My Comments Inboxes
My Comments Outboxes
Soup Mail
Poetry Contests
Contest Results/Status
Followers
Poems of Poets I Follow
Friend Builder
Soup Social
Poetry Forum
New/Upcoming Features
The Wall
Soup Facebook Page
Who is Online
Link to Us
Member Poems
Poems - Top 100 New
Poems - Top 100 All-Time
Poems - Best
Poems - by Topic
Poems - New (All)
Poems - New (PM)
Poems - New by Poet
Poems - Random
Poems - Read
Poems - Unread
Member Poets
Poets - Best New
Poets - New
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems Recent
Poets - Top 100 Community
Poets - Top 100 Contest
Famous Poems
Famous Poems - African American
Famous Poems - Best
Famous Poems - Classical
Famous Poems - English
Famous Poems - Haiku
Famous Poems - Love
Famous Poems - Short
Famous Poems - Top 100
Famous Poets
Famous Poets - Living
Famous Poets - Most Popular
Famous Poets - Top 100
Famous Poets - Best
Famous Poets - Women
Famous Poets - African American
Famous Poets - Beat
Famous Poets - Cinquain
Famous Poets - Classical
Famous Poets - English
Famous Poets - Haiku
Famous Poets - Hindi
Famous Poets - Jewish
Famous Poets - Love
Famous Poets - Metaphysical
Famous Poets - Modern
Famous Poets - Punjabi
Famous Poets - Romantic
Famous Poets - Spanish
Famous Poets - Suicidal
Famous Poets - Urdu
Famous Poets - War
Poetry Resources
Anagrams
Bible
Book Store
Character Counter
Cliché Finder
Poetry Clichés
Common Words
Copyright Information
Grammar
Grammar Checker
Homonym
Homophones
How to Write a Poem
Lyrics
Love Poem Generator
New Poetic Forms
Plagiarism Checker
Poetics
Poetry Art
Publishing
Random Word Generator
Spell Checker
Store
What is Good Poetry?
Word Counter
Email Poem
Your IP Address: 3.147.205.154
From Email:
Required
Email Address Not Valid.
To Email:
Email Address Not Valid.
Required
Subject
Required
Personal Note:
Poem Title:
Poem
Seven years ago I went into the High Sierras stunned by the desire to die. For hours I stared into a clear mountain stream that fell down over speckled rocks, and then I closed my eyes and prayed that when I opened them I would be gone and somewhere a purple and golden thistle would overflow with light. I had not prayed since I was a child and at first I felt foolish saying the name of God, and then it became another word. All the while I could hear the water's chant below my voice. At last I opened my eyes to the same place, my hands cupped and I drank long from the stream, and then turned for home not even stopping to find the thistle that blazed by my path. Since then I have gone home to the city of my birth and found it gone, a gray and treeless one now in its place. The one house I loved the most simply missing in a row of houses, the park where I napped on summer days fenced and locked, the great shop where we forged, a plane of rubble, the old hurt faces turned away. My brother was with me, thickened by the years, but still my brother, and when we embraced I felt the rough cheek and his hand upon my back tapping as though to tell me, I know! I know! brother, I know! Here in California a new day begins. Full dull clouds ride in from the sea, and this dry valley calls out for rain. My brother has risen hours ago and hobbled to the shower and gone out into the city of death to trade his life for nothing because this is the world. I could pray now, but not to die, for that will come one day or another. I could pray for his bad leg or my son John whose luck is rotten, or for four new teeth, but instead I watch my eucalyptus, the giant in my front yard, bucking and swaying in the wind and hear its tidal roar. In the strange new light the leaves overflow purple and gold, and a fiery dust showers into the day.
Type the characters you see in the picture
Required