Divorce Poem
Before dawn I called for you,
My poem, but you didn't come.
I had woken up to the song
Of the cardinal perched
On the fence. You weren't at my desk in all the words that I wrote down and crossed.
You weren't in my shoes nor in the letters that had come and gone all month
Nor in the space held by a window,
Its fourteen trees, its seven stars
That always lag behind.
The poetic features in this poem are subtle yet effective. The line breaks are positioned so that there is some enjambment (going over into the next line) to give an articulate, forceful rendition of the poet's feelings. The subject of the poem is not difficult to ascertain. The poet is writing literally, about a divorce poem, not merely a divorce, and not merely a poem. You will note the "d" sound repeats itself in "dawn," "cardinal," "desk," and onto the last word's last letter in "behind." This articulates the "d" sound as a reminder of the "d" ivorce and the pain it might be causing, or the loneliness as will be evidenced and discussed in a moment.
The poem itself talks about where the "poem" isn't, and thus follows a descriptive list. We have the poem missing from the desk, shoes, and letters that have come and gone each month. The poem in an abstract sense is not even in the space held by a window. So then, if the loved one is gone, he/she is not even in the window to be seen from behind, walking away. There are 12 lines and two sentences in the whole poem. The poem would not benefit from being one long line as a two line poem I think gives the poem a crisper edge, making it edgy and tired, just like the poet is.
The poem is a little nostalgic and is better served by a stop in the middle of the poem, maybe as reflections into what could or couldn't have...
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