Bittersweet
The Visitation; Italian; ca. 1510; Source: The Met
CEFR Level B2-C1
“It’s so beautiful,” they say,
And my eyes are wet.
“I believe you,” I say,
And my heart wonders,
“What is it like,
this mysterious love
“That gives
More than it receives?
“What is it like,
This strange hug
“That loves
More than it compels?”
A family so close
That no others can enter
Is a family where
Each becomes unknown.
I thought it could be me,
Taking the foundation,
Tenderness added to
Love.
It wasn’t to be, for me,
Though I tried to think
Sideways and upside down,
Opening my heart to
No one
Is here.
Life isn’t over.
Hope isn’t over.
I’m glad they saw
A grandmother’s love.
I wonder what it is and
It’s bittersweet.
These poems were written over the summer and autumn of 2024. From fading signs on brick walls to candy to a Christmas lament, the poems follow the seasons.
Table of Contents
Ghost Signs
Goldenrod
September
Labor Day
Florence Price
Du bist die Ruh 1
Du bist die Ruh 2
Black Squirrels
Fear
Horror
Halloween
Candy 1
Candy 2
Candy 3
How I Learned About Native Americans
Pumpkins
Advent
The Winter Solstice Is Oft Observed
What Is a Nativity Set?
Christmas Is Said to Be a Happy Time
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