New and Selected Poems 1974-2004 by Carl Dennis
Author:Carl Dennis
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: PENGUIN group
Published: 2016-08-11T14:10:42+00:00
Mildew
Till now a subject mentioned only as a metaphor
To stand for mustiness in the soul.
But here we have the genuine article
Growing on the north wall of my neighbor’s house
That’s cost him too much already in upkeep.
Black streaks over blue paint that was guaranteed
Against fungus of all kinds, returning each fall
After its spring treatment of bleach.
He scrubbed the bottom story himself
And would have done the rest if the gutter
He’d tried to unclog last fall
Hadn’t pulled loose, spooking him about ladders.
Black streaks and a musty smell in the guest room
That stumps the experts. Long before now
He guessed he was only a transient on the planet.
Now it’s clear his house is a transient too,
Though this evening its lights are burning warmly.
In a minute his Thanksgiving guests will arrive
Having outdone themselves with their walnut stuffing,
Having added new stories to their portfolios.
Their cheerful, spirited talk will fill the kitchen.
He won’t interrupt to ask if they can explain
Why his is the only house on the block
With a mildew problem. Bad luck, maybe,
Though in an earlier era it would be a warning
To turn from a world he’s loved too much.
But what other world steps forward now
To offer its services? And even if it did,
What deserves more of his gratitude
Than his clapboard guardian against wind and rain,
A basement haven for Ping-Pong on winter evenings,
An attic skylight for reattaching to stars
The names washed off by the daily drizzle?
Mildew creeps to the house unseen and suddenly
Scales the walls. But not for him anymore
The temptation of the underground passage
Past the enemy line to a hidden harbor
Where he can still imagine a rowboat waiting.
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