Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Poem #12 -- Between Rain Showers

Flickr Creative Commons photo by deb mae

BETWEEN RAIN SHOWERS

The boy in the yellow slicker
riding his tricycle
up and down the driveway across the alley
stops to watch the old woman bend
carefully all the way down
until her face is next to the ground,
next to the hyacinths still wet with rain.
He studies her without moving, and he
cannot imagine the scent
of the stalk of waxy blooms.
The troubles of her day dissolve.
She catches his eye when she stands up,
and she returns his serious gaze.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2011

4 comments:

  1. What a nice way to start the day. Love how you captured this lovely moment. :)

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  2. Yeah, but the old woman here is rather nimble and agile to bend to the point of having her face to the ground. Also, she stands up or straightens up? Because she is bending over, I guess, not flat on her back. And the boy must be two at the most: he is riding a tricycle, not a bicycle. And yet he is wearing a yellow slicker.
    Very nice otherwise.

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  3. I love this one!
    "He cannot imagine the scent
    of the stalk of waxy blooms."

    For some reason that is the kicker for me.

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  4. Anonymous12:16 AM

    This is such a vivid image you painted for us. And how important that she returned his serious gaze. Lovely.

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