richardcampbell

A Promise

A change of pace: Keep finding this faded clipping on my desk, and since this is the info age, why not transcribe it here where I can always find it. But then, it's not the same thing as coming across the yellowed scrap while looking for something else.

Anyway, "A Promise" by Glyn Maxwell:

I made my child a promise, so a weight
was passed to her. I saw how carefully

its power was handled, that it lit the thoughts 
around it, and I felt it warm her talk

and urge the hours along. Since I, like you, 
no longer know a word like that, the light

she gained was lost to me. It didn't mean 
I'd let her down-I didn't-but I seemed

to be aligned with those who might in time, 
as if I'd somehow set coordinates.

Posted by netrc at January 8, 2010 11:01 AM