On reading the news of my neighbor’s foreclosure
Your daughter was building a bookshelf
that last time we had tea, sunlight a shawl
over your shoulders.
Two curly haired grandchildren pushed
past our legs and we each brushed our fingers
along their backs, they arched like lazy cats
and then crawled away.
The pines behind the barn were covered in snow
and blue jays. So many that their raucous calls drew
us all onto the back porch, where we stood,
one child in my arms, one in yours, and your daughter,
with a mouthful of nails, cradling a soft plank
of a warm and golden wood.
Poet: M. E. Hope
Title: On reading the news of my neighbor’s foreclosure
Publication: Verseweavers, Number 15
As a writer, I am interested in places, memory, migrations. Through poetry, essay, and fiction I explore these concerns. Each piece of writing is informed by some aspect of nature, place, politics, movement – human, animal, thought. I have been a recipient of a Fishtrap Fellowship, Playa Residency and an Individual Artist Fellowship from the Oregon Arts Commission. Currently I live in O’Fallon, Illinois with my husband of 33 years and one geriatric cat.
HELLO! I am a poet looking to connect with other poets in the Metro area. I envision an informal coming together, once a month, to share work, discuss poems and poets and find support. If you are interested, please contact me via email. Thank you, M.E. Hope metaphorwrangler@gmail.com
