the rix mix

FIRST SPRING POEM


It is May
I have missed
half of this spring

You bring it to me now
with a sleepless night

At two I am reading
troubadour poetry

At three I hear
a bird singing
sad yet hopeful riffs

At four I am consumed
with hunger
so I light the kitchen
searching for a snack
but it is you
I am seeking

At five birds again
seagulls flying over
on their way to the park
but it is you
who sails above my bed

As the trees throw off their shadows
flowers appear beneath them

Now I see this spring
you have brought to me

(1990)
© Bob Rixon

Why not an old love poem? I'm not sure if this was ever in print, but I liked reading it to audiences & always got a good response. Many poets think "love" poems have to be deep. I think all they need to do is sing. I was in a May rebound affair following a hard breakup. The woman to whom this poem is addressed had a boyfriend studying in France & she was certain he had a girlfriend (they got back together). The best part of the affair lasted only about a month & hurt as it ended. But I jumped at the opportunity to put shock, sadness, & anger aside for awhile, & allowed myself the moment & the poems it inspired.

This poem is grouped chronologically with four more poems, Doo Wop Song, First Night, Lovers, & The Balancing Beam. But they are not grouped together at The Balancing Beam website. This is because the breakup poems were written before the love poems, about a different woman, & I didn't want to create a false narrative. So I removed any possibility of a "story" & let the poems speak for themselves.

Labels: love, poem