elegy for the rain
rain falls like plump corn
popping outside my window
there is no pattern to these pelting
tendrils of dampness and cold
I stray far from the excessive gene
to drink, though depression rears
itself at the least possible
configuration
I long for the pitter-patter
rhythm to take hold
mist
I have cried for them, shaken
in horror for them;
for those who sailed on winged missiles
those in heavier flight between
window sill and ashen pavement below
for those who cascaded within
caught in unison to perversed, distorting metal
purified rubble.
though on this day, I am mute;
bowed from any tributes-
absent of leisure; an act of betrayal?
exhaustion perhaps, and prudent wonder
for the women, the chosen few
having been elevated to celebrity status.
have others not gone before
and after?
silently, oh so violently,
lesser gods; as orphans, widows,
single mothers
from Khandahar to North America
to Argentina
there are no troubadours singing our
praises, no ballads being written
of our continued courage.
as for my own small part
on this day, their day of remembrance
I can only struggle with,
and on my own
accomplish all that is unaccounted for
mist, from the splash of Icarus*
*Brueghel's Icarus
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Donna Hill lives in British Columbia, Canada with her three sons. She has
been writing poetry since 1998, drawing much of her writing style for
realism from life around her, her family, and work as a child educator. She
is a part time university student earning her Batchelor of Arts in English
and Creative Writing. Donna is also co-creator and poetry editor of Erosha,
an online literary journal of the erotic. Her poems have appeared
internationally, in such issues as Teak Round Up, One Dog Press, Poems
Niederngrasse, Poetry Motel, Peshekee River Poetry, and Slipstream, and have
also been published by numerous literary webzines. "My Hands Write When I
Need Them To," took first prize in Comrades first annual poetry contest in
the UK, and was invited into their anthology entitled, "Uno," 2002. Clean
Sheets Press has published her poem, "Carolina Rain" in their latest
anthology, December 2001. Donna's poetry site can be found at
www.donnamichelehill.com.
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