Thursday Short Poem: Merwin's "Yesterday"

I love W.S. Merwin; his Vixen was the first poem I put up when I began the Thursday Short Poem just over one full year ago.

This devastating poem makes me cry, and it makes me happy that I've been seeing a lot of my Dad this year, and I'll be visiting with him again soon.

Yesterday

My friend says I was not a good son
you understand
I say yes I understand

he says I did not go
to see my parents very often you know
and I say yes I know

even when I was living in the same city he says
maybe I would go there once
a month or maybe even less
I say oh yes

he says the last time I went to see my father
I say the last time I saw my father

he says the last time I saw my father
he was asking me about my life
how I was making out and he
went into the next room
to get something to give me

oh I say
feeling again the cold
of my father's hand the last time
he says and my father turned
in the doorway and saw me
look at my wristwatch and he
said you know I would like you to stay
and talk with me

oh yes I say

but if you are busy he said
I don't want you to feel that you
have to
just because I'm here

I say nothing

he says my father
said maybe
you have important work you are doing
or maybe you should be seeing
somebody I don't want to keep you

I look out the window
my friend is older than I am
he says and I told my father it was so
and I got up and left him then
you know

though there was nowhere I had to go
and nothing I had to do

Comments

[davejones]

In the same vein, Hugo, is Harry Chapin's "Cats in the Cradle", a song that resonated with me much more after I became a father.

[barb]

I love W.S. Merwin too; he's one of my favorite poets. I have several of his books and a copy of one of his manuscripts of a book he was about to publish that he gave me when I went to one of his readings several years ago. I'd read this one before, a long time ago and yeah, those last coupla lines ring so true. It's particularly poignant for me now that my uncle is dying and my cousin's facing a lot of these same issues.

[annika]

that is devastating. reminds me of that song "the cats and the cradle"? i think it's called.

[annika]

oh, i feel stupid now.

note to self: always read the comment thread before commenting.

[martin]

our female chin has just had babies do we need to seperate the male while she is nursing

[martin]

our female chin has just had babies do we need to seperate the male while she is nursing