When Falls the Coliseum

Ephemera

Posted on February 8th, 2009 at 4:43 pm by Christopher Guerin

This is my first post by Blackberry, so bear with me. I’m waiting for an award ceremony to begin. My daughter Alice, 18 next month, is about to receive several Scholastics awards for her artwork. She takes in stride what has me about to burst, as though it’s up to me to enjoy the moment on her behalf. That’s what parents do, right? Well, there’s a lot more to it and this poem (written years ago) says it better.

EPHEMERA

How many evenings in ten years;

most spent—reading aloud, listening—

trying to be conscious of their joy?

Today one child is still only ten.

The other is only, still only five.

Time disappears into their growing.

Sometimes you think that even

to be conscious is not enough—

then you despair, like a castaway,

fingers cupped on the sea’s edge,

afraid to sip when it is the whole sea