September

Then the flowers became very wild
because it was early September
and they had nothing to lose
they tossed their colors every
which way over the garden wall
splattering the lawn shoving their
wild orange red rain-disheveled faces
into my window without shame

by Grace Paley

I hate to be this person, but I am going through a terrible breakup of a three-year relationship and I would love poetry to make me feel better. Any poetry! Poetry about love, loss, breakups - or just poetry you read when you're having a tough time, poetry that cheers you up, anything. I know this is rather general but if you can't ask your ( Read more... )

Here
by Grace Paley

Here I am in the garden laughing
an old woman with heavy breasts
and a nicely mapped face

how did this happen
well that’s who I wanted to be

at last a woman
in the old style sitting
stout thighs apart under
a big skirt grandchild sliding
on off my lap a pleasant
summer perspiration

that’s my old man across the yard
he’s talking to the meter ( Read more... )

This is response to an amazing poem that was posted very recently.  I was so floored by this poem and so saddened that I hadn't read Grace Paley's work before she was gone that I went looking around for more.  I only found one online, and here it is.

The Poet's Occasional Alternative

I was going to write a poem 
I made a pie instead     it took
about ( Read more... )

Poet Grace Paley is dead at the age of 84.

My friend tells me
a man in my house jumped off the roof
the roof is the eighth floor of this building
the roof door was locked how did he manage?
his girlfriend had said goodbye I'm leaving
he was 22
his mother and father were hurrying
at that very moment
from upstate to help him move out of Brooklyn
they had ( Read more... )

Here Here I am in the garden laughing ( Read more... )

This Life ( Read more... )

My friend tells me ( Read more... )