Thursday, October 21, 2010

The old familiar Celtic temperament...

Drench
by Anne Stevenson

You sleep with a dream of summer weather,
wake to the thrum of rain—roped down by rain.
Nothing out there but drop-heavy feathers of grass
and rainy air. The plastic table on the terrace
has shed three legs on its way to the garden fence.
The mountains have had the sense to disappear.
It's the Celtic temperament—wind, then torrents, then remorse.
Glory rising like a curtain over distant water.
Old stonehouse, having steered us through the dark,
docks in a pool of shadow all its own.
That widening crack in the gloom is like good luck.
Luck, which neither you nor tomorrow can depend on.

1 comment:

Charlotte said...

Wow. That's an incredible poem. And I didn't even know the poet - had to look her up. Still alive, must be in her 80's, roots in MI, MA, and now England. Reminds me a bit of Elizabeth Bishop. Thanks!