Where the Grass is Greener
“I never found a 4-leaf clover”
she told a lover in a dream
then repeated it to me
and I heard it as an epitaph
her essence cast in stone
I imagined that I pressed one
into her frail open hand
the one from my brother Danny’s wallet
that I took from his apartment when he died
It was sealed in cellophane
embossed with gold letters
Good Luck wishes for its lucky owners
Still hinting green and faintly scented
the way her Yorkshire tea
almost smells like kelp
I imagine Danny finding it
at the outdoor Houston flea market
the same place he bought
a wire wrapped marble
that hangs from my windshield
rearview mirror
He needed the purchased luck
for the hope of a liver transplant
when he wasn’t sick enough
to be high on the waiting list
and then he was too sick
to survive the surgery
And what would she spend her luck on?
To save the songbirds or feral cats
to write a new poem
reach age 95
to drink tea with friends
on her patio?
She never saw the Everglades
and has no children of her own
but she lives a rich depth
and will leave her own blessed mark
in the name of nature’s holy spirit
Will we all need a ticket
to the other side
where they say the grass is greener?
Or will we remember
the luck that brought us together
that led us to be right where we are
__________Colleen Redman / Poets and Storytellers United
March 7th, 2021 1:27 am
Wise reflections! Yes, there are a few things I thought I’d like to do which it is clear won’t be happening now – but I enjoy the life I have, and have had.
March 7th, 2021 1:43 am
Great narrative poem with wonderful descriptions and ponderings
What will stay with me:
“Or will we remember
the luck that brought us together
that led us to be right where we are”
March 7th, 2021 1:45 am
Many of us have experienced the loss of a relative or loved one and what better way express that is to write poetry or prose to honour them. You have done this so beautifully here.
March 7th, 2021 3:55 am
There is a story in the first stanza alone, Colleen! I love the way it develops and meanders to tell further stories, reveal hopes and fears, and the appeal to the sense of smell in the lines:
‘Still hinting green and faintly scented
the way her Yorkshire tea
almost smells like kelp’.
March 7th, 2021 5:05 am
This is such a wonderful poem, Colleen. I followed the story, which is full of wisdom, and felt every line. Simply beautiful!
March 7th, 2021 9:51 am
She’s still with us. 94!
March 7th, 2021 9:51 am
I enjoyed reading this. It feels real.
March 7th, 2021 10:30 am
Awesome work, CR. I’m still carrying around one of my mother’s silver dollars. I’m not sure it works all the time, but whenever something good happens (to me or to the Universe in general) I pull it out of my pocket and thank her.
Your poem rocks, Sister.
March 7th, 2021 12:34 pm
What a lovely tribute to a life long lived, and a touching nod to your brother and your mementos of him. You are so skilled with words!
March 7th, 2021 3:56 pm
Luck is so random, isn’t it? Yet here we are…
March 7th, 2021 8:16 pm
I enjoy reading all the bits of living. So much happens in this poem. And I love the closing stanza, it will keep me thinking for a while…
March 7th, 2021 9:26 pm
This is beautifully deep ~~~ luck brought us together to be right where we are.
March 8th, 2021 10:18 am
this is life, this is human. we all need that little piece of luck in our lives. i have a small metal amulet in my wallet wherever i go, just like the 4-leaf clover of your brother’s.
this is a poem that really makes you think deep.
March 8th, 2021 6:23 pm
I hope to continually remember.