Poetry Sunday: A Proposal by Carl Dennis

Variety is the spice of life we say. And there is certainly truth in that, but sometimes there may be something to be said for sameness as well. Carl Dennis says it with this poem.
A Proposal
by Carl Dennis
Why don’t we set aside for a day
Our search for variety and have lunch
At the same café where we had lunch yesterday
And order the same avocado and Gouda sandwich
On whole wheat bread, toasted and buttered?
Why don’t we stroll again after lunch
To the river and back? I’ll be glad to interpret
Your wearing the blouse you wore yesterday
As a sign you’re still the person I think you are,
That this is the walk you want to take,
The one you didn’t get your fill of before.
And later, why don’t we hope for a sunset
That duplicates the valiant effort of yesterday:
Enough clouds for the light to play with,
Despite a haze that dims the hues?
Isn’t the insight worth repeating
That the end of the day may show itself
To be just as colorful as the beginning,
That a fine beginning isn’t a veil
That the end is destined to strip away?
The same words, but yesterday
They may have sounded a little tentative,
As if we weren’t sure we were ready
To stand behind them. Now if we choose
To repeat them, it means we are.

Comments

  1. David M. Gascoigne,November 24, 2019 at 6:25 AM

    Thanks for introducing me to Carl Dennis. Great poem, and very relevant. There is both comfort and excitement in the familiar. That's why the bowl of cereal I have virtually every morning for breakfast always tastes great!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Judy KruegerNovember 24, 2019 at 11:41 AM

    Nice one! I like both the excitement of something new and the assurance that I can still have the things I love the most.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersNovember 24, 2019 at 1:07 PM

      Familiar things are a comfort to us, particularly in times of stress.

      Delete
  3. The Butterfly ReaderNovember 24, 2019 at 7:16 PM

    I never thought of 'sameness' this way before. I like it! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersNovember 24, 2019 at 7:47 PM

      Poets see things in unique ways and bring their insights to the rest of us.

      Delete

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