Clarifying the Rose
“God gave us memories so that we might have roses in December.”—J.M. Barrie
Yes, and so that we might have a dateless prom in August,
and experience our first failure at work in September,
and forget our lines speaking to the Rotary Club in October,
and find coal in our Christmas stocking in November.
After her retirement from teaching and chairing the English Department at Texas State University—San Marcos, Lydia Blanchard gave up the writing of lectures and memos and strategic plans and turned instead to the writing of poetry. Poetry is much better.