I wish I understood the beauty
in leaves falling. To whom
are we beautiful
as we go?
—David Ignatow, from “Three in Translation”
This leaving is not pretty.
We see it every fall—the browning,
the brittling, the green sucked
from what only months ago
was supple and vibrant.
Some showoffs glisten crimson;
the ginkgo fans go gold, but to us
they are beautiful.
To whom are we beautiful as we go?
Not remotely who we once were,
we desiccate before the eyes
of loved ones, who would rather
look away, who hate watching
the suffering that comes with
the ending of a life.
We cannot blame them, but
still, we look for the one who
long ago found us beautiful,
who adored us, the one who
late at night whispered,
“Come to bed now,”
the one who held the sheet
open, a waiting angel,
eager to envelop us in
those voluminous wings.
And we went. We went
and went again—
so happy to be loved
like that.
•••
(With thanks to poet Marie Howe for her inspiration.)
Güd wrtr 
Beautiful, Jan.
Thank you, Amrita! Nice poem yesterday in James’ Monthly Pause!
Oh, were you there? Thank you! Love to you, and happy holidays! jAmrita
Hi Jan, How beautiful. I had to read it several times. All blessings on your mother, and we are being blessed with your poems because of her!!! And, I think I told you once that Marie is my cousin. Our mothers were sisters. And, yes, she is an inspiration.
Advent Light, Susie
Thank you so much, Susie! I’d forgotten that Marie is your cousin!
I just spent four marvelous afternoons with her in a fairly large group (22 people!) at a masterclass on Kauai. Marie was rather edgy and not happy with the place she was given for our seminar, but once she got into giving writing prompts, she seemed more comfortable, especially when she invited people to read their brand new work and gave very AWA-like feedback.
On a break I told her that her “Annunciation” is one of my top ten favorite poems of all time. (You may notice that the last three words of my poem here are the same as the last words of “Annunciation.”) I also said that every time I taught her poem, “What the Living Do,” my students were so empowered to write their own poems about grief and loss. She’s a gifted poet and a generous teacher.
I’m so glad to know you and deeply appreciate your reading of my work! You’re a gem!
Oh, Wow! What a small world! So glad you two were together.
Annunciation. Yes. Beautiful.
Holy Mary Mother of God…
Susie