Thursday, October 8, 2015

Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer:
"Perhaps It Would Eventually Erode, But ... "















That rock that we
have been pushing up
the hill—that one

that keeps rolling back down
and we keep pushing
back up—what if

we stopped? We are not
Sisyphus. This rock
is not a punishment.

It’s something we’ve chosen
to push. Who knows why.
I look at all the names

we once carved into
its sedimentary sides.
How important

I thought they were,
those names. How
I’ve clung to labels,

who’s right, who’s wrong,
how I’ve cared about
who’s pushed harder

and who’s been slack.
Now all I want
is to let the rock

roll back to where it belongs,
which is wherever it lands,
and you and I could,

imagine!, walk unencumbered,
all the way to the top and
walk and walk and never stop

except to discover what
our hands might do
if for once they were no longer

pushing.



"Perhaps It Would Eventually Erode, But ... " by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer. © Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer. Reprinted by permission of the poet. Visit the poet's blog, where she posts a poem a day.

Art credit: Untitled image by unknown artist.


4 comments :

  1. Once again Rosemerry gives us insight ribbon bow-tied with succinct words. Thank you on National Poetry Day. Ciletti

    ReplyDelete
  2. National Poetry Day! I wish I had known! How to find all these things out? As far as I am concerned, every day is poetry day, but I like knowing there's an official day, too!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Rosemary's blog version of this poem ends like this:

    except to discover what
    our hands might do
    if for once they were

    receiving

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Interesting. Poets are always playing with their poems, aren't they?

      Delete

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