by D and J Shapiro
Had idea of starting to re-write poetry with J, a reprise of our 1970-71 poetry book:
A
Daily ^ Musing
Poetry
In the beginning, one
(October, 2004)
In the beginning, one
Then marriage, two
Then baby, three
Then two more babies, five
Then two again
But now three
My man, my cancer,
And me
Remember This
(October, 2004)
Remember this
This purple flow’r
This silv’ry green leaf
This still fountain
Beneath the earth
Beauty must be
A memory
Sarcoma Haiku
(October, 2004)
All the crying, all
The clinging – death sits patient
But implacable
The Cradle
(October, 2004)
When you are so sick and feeble
you can’t get up from the bed
the nurses will still change it
They ingeniously
position you
knees bent, hands crossed against chest,
on the upper third of the bed
then unwrap the skillfully folded sheet
and lift you until you are cradled
swinging above the bed
while they efficiently
place sheets fresh and clean as Eden
And you weep
as a baby might weep
seeking comfort
seeking a wise mother
who will make all the horror
go away
Thunderstorm
(October, 2004)
Past the hospital
a thunderstorm – unruly
demons are unleashed
THE SNAKE
Johanna Shapiro, PhD
Our oldest daughter turns thirteen,
beautiful, athletic
tall and straight
One day she comes home crying:
The nurse at school said
I have scowly-osis
She’s right
Tall and straight
inside her spine grimaces and spits
a malevolent snake
two curves conspire to create
the appearance of flawless beauty
The Gambler
Johanna Shapiro, PhD
My grandfather was born
in Rumania
He came to this country
at the age of two
because his father got himself
involved on the wrong end of
a failed revolution
to oust a despot king
SOMETIMES I WONDER
Johanna Shapiro, PhD
Sometimes I wonder about the doctor
who for a moment held my daughter’s life
in his hands
and then held my grandchild
What did he feel when my son-in-law told him
to put my daughter first?
What were his thoughts when my daughter begged him
to keep her baby safe?
Did he pray for the wisdom of Solomon?
Did he weigh the advantages of cervical massage
versus an IV drip?
Did he feel a tiny bit of love
for this young couple, so afraid, so alone?
YOUR SPINE IS JUST A BUNCH OF BONES
Johanna Shapiro, PhD
Your spine is just a bunch of bones
Arranged in some kind of order
To hold you erect
To differentiate you from the apes
But when the spine fails
When it crumbles in on itself
When the discs compress, bulge, rupture
Then you meet your essential nature