Elegy #19
by H. Palmer Hall H. Palmer Hall

H. Palmer Hall's most recent books are Into the Thicket (Ink Brush, 2011) and Foreign and Domestic (Turning Point, 2009). His work has appeared in various magazines, from Texas Observer and North American Review to Ascent and Connecticut Review and points in between. He's a librarian at St. Mary's University where he edits Pecan Grove Press.

A little dizzy, back to sleep until 9 a.m,. and then
To work. Always work to do, better than just
Hanging out on the couch. So that, when
We realize there is much to do, we can adjust,
Stand up, drive to wherever we need to be
With no fuss, no entangling debts, free
To just go, to let go or hang on, whichever…
Or not. Have you seen the sky today? Of a blueness
Not matched in even the largest Crayola box—
Signifying a dry heat, unseasonably seasonable weather.
We need a tropical storm, a hurricane, brown grass
To turn green, trees to leaf out before the fall. A grackle feather
Rocks downward to lie on a brown grass blade, image
Of deep purple on brown, of leaves before dying, of
Whatever we can bring together from different shots.

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