For Adrienne
by kvennarad
On a warm day when even children laze
there is a haze, some motes of waste between
the daystar and its devotees; but moreover
a lessening of light, a waking to a fading,
to finding we are short one source.
The walker in trees and amongst fungi
has taken over our sleeping and is completed,
the earth we stumble on is less brave,
our air emptier of songs, weighed
down by sudden epitaphs.
We are poor.
Tomorrow it’ll rain and I’ll be braver,
there’ll be work to shirk and I’ll do so
with a grin as broad as a gun-butt;
there’ll be the door to open, the way
to step through, the swinging stride to make,
and I’ll take the pace, I promise. Please
let me stay one more warm daytime first
and thirst for you, for your words,
for your mood, your breathing,
for one more wisdom now the subject
of speculation; let me make one fast
before the liberation feast, I swear
I’ll eat again, big sister, I’ll eat.
Kvenna ráð 
Outstanding dear! Bless you always, Deborah
Thank you.
i feel knocked off whatever center i had this morning.
thank you for sharing this powerful mourning
glad you are back cyberspatially.
I’m catching up with the backlog of stuff to read and comments to make. I don’t usually put longer poems on this blog, but I wanted to share this one.
Beautiful tribute for a great poet who will be sadly missed
Indeed she will, Jemmy.
Beautiful lines and so heartfelt. 🙂
Thanks, CB.
Beautiful. Her words have buoyed so many of us. I’m grateful you continue to share yours.
I am grateful you come here to read them, Eilidh.
What makes this poem a great tribute is how Rich-like it is. You memorialize Rich through personal introspection the way she did for other women.
I wanted to write something which had a strong element of emulation but was still very much ‘me’, if that makes sense. The line about her walking among trees and fungi is an indirect reference to one of her poems (and for the life of me I can’t remember which one! Galling!). I am always conscious of intertextuality in my own work.
AR is a poet whose books I don’t buy – along with Anne Sexton, Elizabeth Bishop, and Emily Dickinson – for the simple reason that I prefer to come across them serendipitously.
Anyhow, I am very glad you visited here and appreciated this poem.