at the end,
i don’t know that we are any better off.
the rains have stopped
and everything green
is growing, but we still don’t
have travel plans,
and tomorrow is anyone’s guess.
the squirrels got the first
strawberries, and the red
rose is set
to open its first blooms
any day now.
i got through without owing in taxes.
i can hear church bells
with the front door open.
sometimes you return my texts.
some nights we sleep like lovers.
it is the first of May,
and the river calls.
you told me yesterday: three
cars tumbled in, spilling
crude somewhere
upstream. i don’t know
if it was a result
of the storms, or
our negligence.
it will reach here,
they say, but not when.
Joanna Suzanne Lee 
Reblogged this on The Mirror Obscura and commented:
I thought this a beautifully crafted poem. >KB
Thank you, K.A. I’m honored by the reblog! Thanks for shedding a little extra light on this piece!
Cheers,
Joanna
Joanna, it was an excellent poem. I received myself a number of comments. I hope you got some traffic and exposure from it. It is well deserved. >KB
I love it, I just started following your blog. I love a good muse, my blog is dedicated to the muse who inspired me.
Thank you & welcome! I’ll be sure to drop by your site. 🙂
very beautiful, poignant in its directness.
Thank you!
I love the tone of this poem, a bit of pensive hopefulness. You recapped April beautifully, and I hope it’s true that you didn’t owe taxes this year LOL. I guess we’ll see about that oil soon enough. As you said, tomorrow is anyone’s guess.
Finally getting a chance to catch up a little here! it IS true about the taxes, by the way. 😉 As always, appreciate your stopping by. 🙂
This is an achingly beautiful and heartbreaking poem. Thank you so very, very much. I also thanked KB for re-blogging it.
I appreciate that so much, John; thank you. And for passing thanks on to KB as well.
hey that happened in my back yard….wrote about it today too…and they say it will be fine…no damage you know….ugh….an interesting contrast too between spring and such an environmental mess….
Yeah it did! I was wondering if you had seen it or would be affected by it. Ugh indeed. Hope what they say is true.
Reblogged this on davidwebbblog and commented:
Please enjoy this beautifully crafted poem posted on a blog I follow.
David!
Wow! Thank you so much! I think 2 re blogs on a single poem is a record for me. Much appreciated!
joanna,
You’ve brought a smile to my face. Thank you for the compliment.
Peace…
=^)
Found the poem intriguing…always enjoy your writings.
Thanks. 🙂 Based on true (local) events.
I like the first-person recollection and all the senses engaged. What do the cars in the river mean? Who can say? Hope this is not your last poem. 🙂
Hi Mosk!! It was just the last poem of April–no worries! 🙂 The cars in the river… anout the train carrying oil that tumbled into the James near where Brian lives, not too far from here. I believe he wrote about it too. Nice to hear from you!