[Critique Group 2] Joan's November poem

[Joan Myles]

Dear Friends,

Below is my submission for November, a piece I wrote about 20 years ago.
Wishing you only sweetness!
Joan

***

Passing

Summer is fading. Cicadas wind down,

And afternoons slant noticeably--uphill

Like every step you take. Across

The kitchen, into the yard, Harry’s stepstool is there.

Just strong enough like Harry was. Like your grip

On this world. Among weeds you grin

Back at dahlias and marigolds, gather

Mint and chamomile  and forget-

Me-nots. The crooked finger on your left

Hand throbs when weather changes--a good

Thing, precognition. Squinting

To the west affirms it too, hints of a cool breeze and

That nimbus straining toward you. Salient

Edge, severing. Keen as Harry’s hoe,

Put away three years ago when harvested

Vegetables lost their particular

Flavors. True, it was Harry who foresaw

Certain things, who shelved canned  green beans

And tomatoes for the coming of winter.

But he never believed caterpillars

Predict its severity.

And mourning doves endure.
***
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://bluegrasspals.com/pipermail/group2/attachments/20191106/235d4175/attachment.html>