I started this poem at the end of February – when Linda and I were in Savannah, GA – but it stems from an idea I’ve had floating around in my mind for quite a while; that’s often how things work for me. I’ve rewritten it numerous times since then and I think it’s finally ready – finally sparse enough – to share. Let me know what you think.

WHY I WRITE POEMS
 
The dates of my birth and death
should be simple to find,
but who will know the story
of the first girl I loved?

Who will know my grandfather, too, 
wrote poems of God and Lake Michigan,
or my grandmother made applesauce
with Jonathans and Northern Spies?

Who will marvel at a sister's care
for her husband dying young,
or two old men paddling
the length of a long river,

bruised but never beaten
by its many twists and turns?   

I have two events coming up this month and would love to see readers of this blog at either (or both!),

• Thursday, April 10th, 5 pm at Bay Books in Suttons Bay, Michigan.
• Saturday, April 26th, 4 – 6 pm at Schuler Books on 28th St in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

My book, SLOW RIVERS, will be available at either of the events listed above. It can also be ordered through your local independent bookstore or online via bookshop.org.

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A New Poem Every So Often.
(No regular schedule right now; life gets in the way.)

Joseph Neely, all rights to original material reserved.