Thriving

Necessity may be the mother of invention, but doubt is the agent of change.
~Laura Shovan, Little Patuxent Review

I like to bring books and magazines with me to doctor's offices. Recently, I brought the latest issue of Little Patuxent Review and found myself folding down the corners of an excessive number of pages. There were so many that I wanted to re-read and savor! The issue features a poem by Poetry Friday regular Irene Latham, and I would encourage other Poetry Fridayers to submit their work. The next open reading period is from 8/1/13 to 11/1/13, and the theme is Science.

Some of my Doubt favorites were Escape, Danish Modern, Standing in the Air, On The Road to Human Rights Day, Come to me says the earth, and Japan 2011. Also, this poem by Elisabeth Dahl, who kindly gave me permission to share it here:

Apology
by Elisabeth Dahl

Was it art or accident
That led the hospital's head nuns
To tuck the failure-to-thrive babies
Into a corner of the seventh floor
Beside the eating disorder unit?

Three of us padded down to that corner once,
Teenagers in double-hung hospital gowns and
Standard-issue slippers squashed at the heel.
It was Christmas night, past visiting hours.
Midway down the corridor, a gilt-framed Madonna,
Ample in blue, swaddled the child who reached for her.

The hallway light spilled in behind us.
It lit the crib slats and the hard, taut sheets.
Fluorescent and cold -- unholy --
It was white-turned-blue, like skim milk
Or veins on the inside of a wrist.
It didn't wake the babies.

Later, we settled back into our beds,
Tucking the thin blankets over our shoulders,
Curling our knees to our small, dry breasts,
Keeping our gifts to ourselves.
We each ran the day's numbers privately,
Counting calories rather than sheep.

Days before I left, the art therapist
Asked us to draw ourselves as animals.
In sure, waxy strokes of crayon,
I drew a solid, forward-facing lion,
All head, with a mane that reached the paper's edge:
I was wiser now, nearly thriving.

Kelly, 12 years old and new to the unit,
Sat beside me, working on a blank page.
Or so it seemed. Leaning in,
I saw a pink bird in faint colored pencil
At the very center of the white white page,
One wing raised slightly, as if in apology.

~~~~~~~~~

Elisabeth Dahl's first book, a middle-grade novel, is due out April 2. It's called Genie Wishes.


Mary Lee has the Poetry Friday round-up at A Year of Reading.

P.S. Savvy Verse & Wit is looking for more poetry month bloggers.