The new Poet Laureate was announced yesterday and ignoramus that I am I had, of course, never heard of her. Thank goodness for poets.org. What I have read so far I like very much- short and punchy. This poem speaks to me as I recently had to exercise patience and it wasn't so easy and was, indeed, wider than I had envisioned. Patience is something people have a hard time with. My nine-year-old has none and I am trying hard to teacher her the joys of delayed satisfaction. Needless to say, I have little patience for this process!!!
Patience
by Kay Ryan
Patience is
wider than one
once envisioned,
with ribbons
of rivers
and distant
ranges and
tasks undertaken
and finished
with modest
relish by
natives in their
native dress.
Who would
have guessed
it possible
that waiting
is sustainable—
a place with
its own harvests.
Or that in
time's fullness
the diamonds
of patience
couldn't be
distinguished
from the genuine
in brilliance
or hardness.
Round up is at Reading and Ruminating
4 comments:
Ah, patience and diamonds in metaphor and truth. I love that.
This is funny -- you, Eisha, Kelly and me, all posting Kay Ryan poetry, and none of us have posted the same one. It's wonderful that she's the laureate, and now we ALL have an excuse to become un-ignoramusified.
Cheers!
"a place with it's own harvests" Yes. It's not what I imagined at all and I am just coming to that country. Usually I am stuck in the rocks just off shore.
I loved this bit:
Who would
have guessed
it possible
that waiting
is sustainable—
a place with
its own harvests.
Thanks for linking to me (although my blog name is actually Writing and Ruminating, I think your pick is just as apt).
I'm so glad you picked this poem - it made me focus on it all by itself, and not as part of a string I was reading all at once!
It's nice to see you back online! I love the poem you chose.
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