Looking Back
Delayed Reactions
Sherman Pearl
After the hammer slams down on your thumb
or the hurtful word penetrates,
a stunned moment follows.
You're like a soldier who feels no pain until he sees the wound.
Happiness, too, is sometimes slow to register.
It was years after the rain had sent
me and the girl huddled close to me dashing for cover
that I suddenly felt the drops.
Sherman Pearl
After the hammer slams down on your thumb
or the hurtful word penetrates,
a stunned moment follows.
You're like a soldier who feels no pain until he sees the wound.
Happiness, too, is sometimes slow to register.
It was years after the rain had sent
me and the girl huddled close to me dashing for cover
that I suddenly felt the drops.