Wishing in One Hand
I wish I had the ruby ring
round the hummingbird's throat,
the hail and promise that sings
to a mate with a scarab green float
and not the rooster's red wattle
that won't even keep the pot full.
I wish I had the filling cup
so lovingly brimmed up
with honey wine and ginger root
and not the rubber boot
from which the piss is poured
of cowboys drunk and bored
before the Leper King
claims that artificial skin
to slog his warty way
through unspeakable muck all day.
I wish most I had the rainbow after the storm,
where hope uncovers the heart and gives it form.
~August 2013
posted for real toads
Challenge: The Poetry of Sara Teasdale
Kerry O'Connor brings the work and style of the August-born poet, Sara Teasdale, to our attention, and asks for a poem inspired by "the words of this remarkable woman."
Image: Cattleya Orchid and Three Hummingbirds, by Martin Johnson Heade.
1871. Public domain via wikipaintings.org
