Gone.
Something about a train. No,
a car. A back seat. Driving.
Not driving. Driven. To know.
To remember. Do you
remember when…? What
happened?

The red-tailed hawk circles,
circles. First the windup.
Then − gone!

Snow    slush    water
sinks into garden. Gone. A husband
dies. Gone.

An infant’s double chin
gone. Do you remember when?
Or how?

Gone.
Something about a dolphin. No,
a baby seal. Do you remember?
A river.  An ocean.  Am I
swimming out to sea?  The rain
is falling. Forever is coming
close.

•

Born in a housing project in The Bronx, Marian Kaplun Shapiro is the author of a professional book, Second Childhood (Norton, 1988),  a poetry book, Players In The Dream, Dreamers In The Play (Plain View Press, 2007) and  two chapbooks: Your Third Wish (Finishing Line, 2007); and The End Of The World, Announced On Wednesday (Pudding House, 2007). A Quaker and a psychologist, her poetry often embeds the topics of peace and violence by addressing one within the context of the other. A resident of Lexington, she was named Senior Poet Laureate of Massachusetts in 2006, in 2008, in 2010, 2011, and 2014. She was nominated for the Pushcart Prize in 2012.

Photo ©Joanne Warfield